A Dangerous Dalliance
by griffonnage
Summary: Jeremy, Henry, Isak and Elizabeth infiltrate the Valley Forge camp to determine who is plotting an assassination of General Washington. Their efforts are hampered by an unexpected guest at headquarters.
1. Prologue

**A Dangerous Dalliance**

**Prologue**

At Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, the new year 1778 began with a merciless storm.

Wind swept up the valleys and howled in anger across the plateau. The heavy snow and sleet formed fists that pummeled the unprotected oxen, cattle and horses. After nightfall, came the brutal ice. It caved-in poorly built roofs and sheared off pine limbs, which crashed to the ground puncturing the solemn silence and banishing sleep.

In the camp, the weary soldiers huddled within their drafty hastily constructed log huts. The generals of the Continental Army sat in furnished parlors or slept in the feather beds of borrowed stone-faced homes. They heard the blustering wind shaking the roofs above their heads, but they did not feel its stinging bite upon their skins as did their men.

George Washington, the man who had led the American army to this barren winter landscape, was writing letters in his borrowed bedchamber late at night. The window he sat beside framed a grotesque view of the frozen Schuylkill River through the bared icy branches of the thick wood that lined its banks. When the sly moon breached the black clouds, its snaking path glowed like an opening to a blue netherworld. With one flickering candle for light, he scribbled some wet inky lines to his wife, Martha. He mentioned the view from the window, and the rugged but beautiful snow-blanketed landscape. He did not mention the lack of food, the lack of medicine, or the deficiency of hope. He could not bring himself to inflict the dark despair upon her that doused his confidence that evening. The howling storm was a beast determined to feast upon his helpless soldiers.

The lonely commander thought the camp slumbered--at least he felt isolated in his wakefulness--but he was not alone. Another walked this stormiest of nights, unseen or ignored, seeking restitution for a perceived heinous crime. A biblical quest of blood-for-blood swept this sinister stalker ever closer to his ambition. Eyes burning with hate peered up from the snow-speckled dark at the candlelit silhouette of Washington and a hoarse voice murmured, "Soon."


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Jeremy Larkin hated only a few things: tyranny, crowds, dress attire that clawed at his neck, and the fine fakeries of highbred conversation. So, as he ascended a set of monumental steps and a pair of oversized paneled doors opened before him to reveal a bright opulent interior, he asked himself why? Why did General Lafayette see fit to put him--a naturally defiant and unrepentant anti-aristocratic miscreant--in this place this evening? The pawn of a practical joke no doubt--Jeremy vowed revenge.

The moment he heard the reverberation of his booted step upon the marbled floor, a stranger's reflection greeted him in a mirror across the room--polished black riding boots, blue and buff captain's uniform, heavy sword swinging at the hip--a twin he didn't know. The borrowed clothes were clean with a slight scent of cedar, but he had the uncomfortable feeling they had clothed a man now dead. As he was about to make a hasty retreat--a melody from the adjoining room reached his ears. Notes from stringed instruments rose and fell--a minuet. The fluttering trills had a touch of spring. It carried an unspoken hope incongruous to the cold snow-laden world outside and the miserable military camp just miles away. It gave him the will to stay.

Voices in conversation, punctuated by boisterous laughter and small feminine giggles floated into the entry and echoed off the paneled walls--a rude cackle of humans that ignored the sweet music as if it were a child speaking out of turn. Glasses tinkled as they were filled with sherry, or perhaps the smuggled exotic liquor of some remote island. Jeremy craned his neck for a glimpse of the great room through a pair of large paneled doors. The well-dressed butler appeared, eyed the newcomer as if he were a large rodent, but grudgingly accepted the rodent's cloak and hat and gestured that he might enter the festive hall.

The reluctant guest stepped through the doors into a cavernous room. Hoping to lurk in the shadows and avoid detection, he leaned against what appeared to be a marble column that with its twin flanked the opening. Discovering it to be a deception of painted wood, he felt a kinship to it.

He noted the lavish interior of the great hall--the patterned wood floor, the multicolored tapestries of hunting scenes, and the multitude of flickering spermaceti candles in brass candelabras hung from deep paneled coffers overhead. He appraised the assembly: a parade of peacocks--the wellborn merchants, the landed gentry and the ever-present lawyers. He had seen the guest list. There would be no one here from the river town of Chester where he and his friends were well known.

Jeremy spotted his accomplice Henry Abington at the buffet with a teacake in hand. The scientist was tongue-wagging and gesticulating with a white-haired gentleman. Henry was in his element--Jeremy was sweating profusely under his heavy wool coat. His distraction with his scientific friend and his own discomfort caused him to miss an intruder on his left flank.

"Is that a blue-boy hiding behind my column?" asked a sultry feminine voice with the hint of an English accent.

Jeremy stumbled in his haste to leave the shadows. _Damn boots_. He gazed upon a copper-haired blue-eyed wonder that stood nearly eye-to-eye with him. "'Tis I, Captain Jeremy Lambert of the first Pennsylvania." The captain bowed at the waist thankful he remembered his alias in time. "At your service, madam."

"Hello, Captain Jeremy Lambert. You cut a fine figure in that uniform. It would be a shame to waste it in the shadows."

The southern voice was warm and inviting, the eyes intelligent and mature.

"To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?" Jeremy asked.

"Mrs. Julie Keating, the spring half of the winter-spring coupling that occupies this mansion." The lady offered her small white hand.

Jeremy gently gripped the slender perfectly manicured fingers and bowed his head. "I am very pleased to meet you, ma'am."

Mrs. Keating raised her perfect eyebrows. "Ma'am? Call me Julie, please. I much prefer to hear it. I am only twenty-eight." She measured him with her busy eyes bringing his frayed nerves to attention. He thought for sure she was going to ask whom he was trying to fool in that uniform, but she said, "You can't be a day over twenty."

"Nineteen, ma—I mean Julie."

"You seem uncomfortable, Jeremy. May I ask why?"

_She has to ask? _All eyes were darting their way. Whispers were moving across the grand room like a breeze from an open window. He berated himself for letting his shyness hobble his tongue_._ "This isn't my normal duty."

"I shan't have you disappointed in your visit to my home. There is enough food over there to feed all the officers at Valley Forge and their horses. Help yourself to all you can eat and carry with you in your pockets."

Jeremy grimaced, feeling suddenly a traitor to his messmates at camp. He wasn't sure how to handle this quick filly and her quips and reflexively adjusted his cravat that felt like a noose about his neck.

"Dear me," she said with a click of her tongue, "I do believe I am increasing your discomfort. That was not my intention. Please forgive me. I don't care for these fund-raising receptions myself. Everyone is so much older than I. They talk of business and war and the urge to yawn comes over me."

The captain smiled and dropped his eyes.

"Tongue-tied and _très__beau_--how delightful," she trilled in a melodious voice not unlike the violin in the background. "I think we will be good friends, Jeremy. Whose command are you with?"

"Lafayette's."

Julie's blue eyes flared. She put her hand to her white throat and fingered the small pearls of her necklace. "Lafayette? I've been very apprehensive about meeting him for the first time. I fear he shall turn me into a shy school-girl!" Julie tittered. "I've heard he is very handsome and sweet-natured. He is accompanying General Washington this evening."

"Aye. I am here to protect them from the adoring multitude."

"Is that so?" The gracious hostess laughed brightly like the twitter of a bird causing the soft ringlet curls that hung from her ribbon-adorned coif to dance. "Does that mean defend them against the overzealous admiration of the feminine sex, too?"

"Indeed."

"Well, I'm glad you are here, Jeremy, whatever the reason. You are a pleasant surprise."

"Thank you. Do you know all of these people?"

Julie tossed her head, and gazed over the room with the look of a queen assessing her minions. Jeremy tried not to stare at her child-like profile but his eyes moved to admire the slender curve of her neck encircled by a satin blue ribbon. He watched that ribbon as she spoke.

"Not all," she said tight-lipped, "but I can name most. I know the wives very well, and owing to their loose-tongues, I know the husbands more than I care. Would it be more of a diversion for you if I point out the men who are here with their wives in the presence of their mistresses? I find it a lark to watch their awkward dance." Julie smirked.

"That would be very naughty of you to reveal their secrets," Jeremy said.

"I suppose, but my desire for amusement sometimes overpowers my conscious," she said with a quick smile and twinkling eyes. "We are all refugees from New York and Philadelphia. Many of the men are representatives to Congress from the middle colonies. I'm sure you know the Congress has retreated to York?"

"The colonies?" Jeremy asked.

She slapped her delicate hands on her rouged cheeks like a little girl caught in a faux pas. "Oh, I mean 'the states', of course. I'm afraid I am guilty of drinking tea in the afternoon, too. Oh, dear, are you going to report me to the Committee of Safety?" she asked with mock concern.

"I don't think I can trust the Committee of Safety with you, I'll just have to keep my eyes on you instead," Jeremy said with a grin. "You normally live in Philadelphia?"

The lady nodded. "After the rout at Brandywine Creek, the British marched into Philadelphia. We spent a delightful two months as they dined and partied about the city, but my dear husband grew nervous and decided that the clean air and water of the Pennsylvania countryside would be best for my health. He was running from the British--I was being sequestered like a nun."

"Where is your husband?"

Julie sighed as if the topic didn't interest her. "Rutherford is the frumpy man by the fire. The tall pointed head talking with him is Mr. Pierce--'the Bore', Rutherford's financial advisor. I accuse him of being my husband's mistress. And this is the look I get in return." She dropped her chin and made a face that mimicked the ugly man.

Jeremy couldn't keep from laughing aloud. She laughed with him, which brought all the curious eyes in the room upon them. Jeremy's hope of hiding in the shadows was dashed to the fine parquet floor. She stepped close, slipped her arm under his and whispered her warm breath upon his ear, "I'll let you in on a little secret--they have some new prospect for making lots of money that _must _be discussed in ear-shot of all these would-be investors."

The young patriot now knew this frisky socialite had singled him out with purpose. He was reduced to a prop in her one-woman play showing the guests--and her husband--she could take any man she pleased. Being a man in disguise diminished the blow to his ego, but he felt his right cheek twitch just the same—a subtle resistance on the part of his masculine brain. Her soft breast covered in taffeta silk pressed against his arm and her revealing décolletage beckoned his eyes. "B-business bores you?" he stammered without looking at her.

"My life bores me," she hissed with an airy scorn. "Of course, as a woman, I mustn't show interest in anything at all. That would be unseemly. I flit about this cold empty summer palace without a care. I admire the artwork with rapturous 'oohs' and 'aahs', arrange a new piece of furniture, and direct the servants. My only obligation is to entertain at Mr. Keating's many social gatherings. I survive my exile by pretending I'm a Parisian _salon_ hostess and these are my artists, writers and wits."

Her reference puzzled the young man who had never been beyond the borders of his native land. He furrowed his brow. She was being contrary and thought he was a sympathetic ear. Julie pursed her lips in judgment upon his silence—her lips were like cherries floating on her milky white skin.

Before she could speak again, Rutherford Keating turned and frowned at his wife but then thought better of it and quickly smiled. She returned the smile but kept her place close to her new conquest, gripping his arm even tighter and fingering the brass buttons of his sleeve. The lord of the manor had a soft overstuffed face with drooping jowls and bug-eyes that resembled an over-bred lapdog. His balding head and pouch at his gut announced that he was a lucky man to have a wife as beautiful and young as Julie--or maybe unlucky. The bags under his eyes and his double chin placed his age as somewhere around fifty.

The pretend captain felt ill at ease but he continued to try to make the frivolous discourse he detested as the small string quartet launched into a lively badinerie. "I imagine Mr. Keating adores you and tries to make life as comfortable as possible. No man could do otherwise with such an exquisite wife to adorn his life."

"Oh, yes," Julie moaned, "I have everything I need or want and servants at my beckon call to retrieve it." Her full lips skewed into a crooked smile as her thin plucked eyebrows bristled into pointed arches. "So I am an exquisite adornment am I?" She clicked her tongue off the roof of her mouth--a subtle reprimand. "I suppose that is appropriate. I feel like jewelry dangling from Mr. Keating's arm--just a tad more valuable than his watch fob."

Jeremy froze, not sure of how to fix his apparent transgression. Mr. Keating saved him from stammering something stupid as the gentleman at that moment turned to his wife and motioned with a stubby curled finger for her to come.

"I am summoned. How wretched of that man. Please help yourself to the refreshments, Jeremy. I promise I will try to find you and ease your boredom as much as possible since you have been so kind as to ease mine for a moment."

She glided away leaving a pleasant floral scent in her wake. The captain sighed in relief as he watched her retreating figure draped in blue taffeta puffed at the hips to exaggerate her slim waist. The gown dipped low to reveal a perfectly formed back and swan neck set off by the understated pearls and ribbon that graced it. She moved through the crowd like a wisp of blue smoke speaking and touching each person she passed. The woman played hostess to perfection even if she hated the 'job'.

Catching Henry's eye, Jeremy walked towards him. With his back to the room, he took a deep breath--he felt like he had just run a mile. Looking over the well-equipped buffet, he calmly poured himself water, though he longed to acquiesce to the beckoning bartender and his assortment of liquor. Residing on terraces of fine crystal dishes, imported porcelain, and sterling silver platters were a vast assortment of sweetmeats, tarts, creams, relishes, jams, jellies, cheese, cakes--then his eyes fell upon it and he knew in an instant what he had been missing for the past two weeks--glorious red succulent bloody beef! Jeremy stared unabashed as a guest lifted a slice of the ambrosia with a small delicate silver two-pronged fork and placed it gingerly on a dainty plate as if it were a delicacy. The hungry soldier incognito wanted to grab the silver platter, throw his face in it and let the juices trickle down his chin--

"Captain, nice evening for a party, isn't it?" Henry asked--his round cherub face aglow.

Jeremy heaved a sigh, turned his back on the banquet and his lust for beef. "Aye. Quite nice."

"I see you met the mistress of the manor."

"You and the whole gathered flock of worshipers. I didn't snort a laugh or step on her silk shod toes--a good turn."

Henry chuckled. "My shy friend, you really need to attend more parties. I found her quite intelligent and engaging. She is very familiar with Franklin's writings and his most obscure experiments." Henry leaned in with intense eyes and whispered, "She knows the man personally."

Jeremy felt the urge to break out laughing and nearly choked on his water.

"I was quite taken," the passionate scientist said. "She is a well-known patron of American science, letters and art. Heir to a Virginia fortune--a lady with her own money."

"And nice to look at," Jeremy mumbled.

Henry didn't notice his friend's mocking tone as he was too busy watching the hostess work the room. Apparently, Mrs. Keating could read a man's mind and tell him exactly what he wanted to hear. A talent useful to a hostess…and a double agent. Jeremy smiled to himself. _Why do I see espionage behind every intelligent beautiful woman?_ He shook his head hoping to rid himself of the prejudice.

"The doctor there," Henry continued, "told me she is the wealthiest woman in America and that is attributed to George Washington being the executor of her late father's estate. It seems there is much titillating rumor surrounding the couple as to who will inherit the woman's fortune—there are no children, but there are three self-indulgent spoilt nephews of Mr. Keating's who are salivating over it."

"I guess that eliminates Mrs. Keating as Washington's would-be assailant. So, Henry, did you learn anything of interest about any of the other guests?"

"Huh?" Henry asked with a puzzled look over his round spectacles.

"Never mind."

"Do you know when Washington and Lafayette are to arrive?" Henry asked.

"Nay. It's a state secret."

"Safer that way, I suppose."

Jeremy perused the crowd. The ladies' eyes met his gaze and he felt his face flush.

Henry didn't miss it. "Jeremy, a young man in a uniform ranks above every man in the room."

The novice captain groaned.

"What's the matter, the uniform too tight?"

"Nay. I would just like this wasteful evening to end as soon as possible."

"Why? So you can return to that mud shanty on that mud road that leads to that frozen muddy creek?"

"Henry, it's an army camp, not a summer retreat."

"I'm sorry." Henry dropped his head then inhaled and exhaled deeply. "I'm just discouraged with my work in the hospitals. So much sickness and death, no food, no medicine amid the worst unsanitary conditions…"

"I wonder why Washington chose Valley Forge to winter?" Jeremy asked. "The farms all around have been picked clean. The commissaries are ranging as far as New Jersey to find food."

"The commissaries and the quartermasters are corrupt organizations," Henry whispered fiercely, "apparently working for the enemy as they are set on finishing off the army one man at a time." He turned angry dark eyes upon his friend. "Do you realize men are dropping dead of hunger or illness every night? They carry them off in the morning and bury them without ceremony without even the slightest marker. It is the most demoralizing inhuman thing I have ever witnessed."

"Thank Providence that's not our job."

"Aye, of course. We are here to stop the assassination of General Washington without a clue as to who wants to assassinate him, why or how they plan to do it."

The music stopped and the crowd quieted. All eyes turned to Mr. Keating standing at the great colonnaded entrance to the room with his beautiful wife at his side. Jeremy winced at the absurd sight--a squat thick-necked bulldog standing next to a tall graceful swan.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Mr. Keating announced in a shocking high-pitched tenor, "I know you have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of our distinguished guests, Generals Washington and Lafayette. I know I have. Those bags of money burning a hole in my safe are driving me mad!" The giggling man threw his hands up and slapped his baldhead.

The crowd tittered in reply.

Jeremy felt the lady's pain. He almost wished her a widow but checked his thoughts. He would feel like a murderer if Keating suddenly dropped dead.

"I want to take this opportunity to say that your contributions are much appreciated. Julie and I have opened our home this evening for this very _special_ gathering because we are dedicated to the most honorable and judicious American cause of Liberty. You can all leave tonight proud of what you have accomplished together." Mr. Keating's lip quivered as he all but screamed, "We have collected a total of twenty thousand pounds!"

Cheers and applause filled the great hall as well as the awkward high-pitched melody of ladies' fans tapped on the edge of fine glassware half filled with liquid.

Mr. Keating glanced behind him. Colonels Hamilton and Laurens stood like towering blue trees in the entry hall. The assemblage became a jittery bobbing mass as they waited to catch a glimpse of the two generals that few had met in person. Jeremy put his glass down and checked his uniform. He whispered, "Henry watch as much as this crowd that you can. Have you a weapon?"

The chemist opened his coat to reveal a horse pistol tucked in his waistband. Jeremy nodded and moved towards the back of the crowd, to the other side of the room.

He arrived at one of the tall draped French-style windows that reached nearly to the floor. Lifting the thin white sheer, he saw the mounted guard and a carriage. His accomplice, Isak, clothed in the estate's livery colors, stood attentively nearby. Jeremy turned back to the room--a sea of fashionably dressed middle-aged men and women. The faces were guileless, beaming with innocent anticipation, but the British had proven they could deceive by planting Tories among Whigs when needed.

Outside, Isak opened the carriage door and tall General Washington greeted him. The general stepped carefully to the ground. General Lafayette hopped out of the carriage behind him. Jeremy turned and nodded to Henry as the generals walked up the steps and through the tall columns to the door.

Henry began to circle the room as Jeremy moved to the front and stood beside the colonels at one side of the opening. Mr. and Mrs. Keating arranged themselves on the other side. Julie smiled graciously at the guests but sneaked a sly wink at Jeremy. The crowd of people edged closer to the front, nudging themselves into a smaller compact space like geese on a millpond awaiting an offered morsel from a benevolent hand.

Colonel Hamilton whispered in Jeremy's ear, "I see you have caught the eye of Lady Julie."

Jeremy felt his face grow warm. How he wished he could control that reaction.

"Come now, good fellow, no need for embarrassment. You have achieved what the rest of us have dreamt of for the last month. A feminine smile, a furtive look, a flirtatious word--the highlight of a jaded soldier's life."

The pompous butler stood at the entrance and everyone fell silent to listen. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he trumpeted, "General's Washington and Lafayette." The butler stepped aside and the two handsome gentlemen appeared. The guests clucked and cooed as if they were seeing some new Ben Franklin invention.

Jeremy snapped to attention with the colonels. The officers brought the fresh scent of cedar with them. Their dress coats must have been stored in cedar chips. It made him wonder what he smelled like since he hadn't seen a bar of soup since he arrived in camp two weeks before. He hoped the faint cedar smell of his own coat masked any irregularities.

General Washington's towering majestic figure immediately brought the room to a hushed silence. He surveyed the people, stopped at every gleaming face and peered into every anticipating pair of eyes. The silence was electric. "Please, be at ease my friends," he ordered in a calm deep voice. The colonels and Jeremy obeyed the order, relaxed their stance and clasped their hands behind their backs.

The assembly murmured nervously. Mr. Keating stepped forward and with great animation shook Washington's hand then Lafayette's. They loomed over the little man forcing him to cock his neck back to meet their eyes. He clicked his heels, drawing Jeremy's eyes to his fashionably red-heeled shoes. "General's we are most pleased that you could join us this evening. We know you are busy busy with the affairs of the army." The man's excited shrill voice, flushed face and waving hands resembled a hawker on market day. Keating turned to his wife. "General Washington, I'm sure you remember my incredibly gorgeous wife Julie, the queen of my castle."

"Of course." Washington turned to Julie Keating and took her offered hand. He bent and touched his lips to her fingers. "You have grown into a beautiful young woman Julie, but that was clearly your destiny when I first met you as a child on your father's knee."

Julie curtsied demurely. "I am pleased to see you again my dearest benefactor."

Washington turned and introduced his young companion as the Marquis de Lafayette. Julie shyly offered the Frenchman her hand and curtsied. "I am pleased to meet you, Marquis."

Lafayette bowed his head. "The pleasure is mine, madam," he said in his baritone voice.

Washington turned to the crowded hall. "My friends, the marquis and I wanted to be here to thank each of you in person for your generous contributions. The brave army that fought and won at Trenton and Saratoga is now suffering the deprivations brought on by severe winter conditions. Our army's presence at Valley Forge is a constant menace to the British celebrating in Philadelphia but we need your help to remain a threat."

He paused. The crowd murmured words of concern to each other. The astute commander clearly intended for them to think about what would happen to them and their property if the army disintegrated.

The general continued, "Every dollar, every pound, every _louis _means a great deal to every soldier. Your friend, whom you know as Rutherford Keating, I knew as Colonel Rute Keating. We stood together before a pack of angry Frenchmen and their savage allies and watched Braddock fall. Rute helped me bring that army home after a difficult defeat when I was but a youngster precipitately saddled with command. He never gave up on his men. I know you will join him now in not giving up on the Continental Army."

The crowd clapped and cheered.

Washington turned and put his arm across Lafayette's shoulders and looked upon the young man with soft benevolent eyes. "Time can change enemies into friends, and friends into enemies. I dare say most of you are well aware of my fondness for this young man. He is the consummate crowd pleaser on my staff--a volunteer--not representing his King or his government, but rather his people who share our love of liberty. My life would not be the same without my adopted son who has reached out to me from across a vast ocean and a long and venerated line of military prowess. I want to share this precious gift with you this evening that each of you may be able to say you have met _our_ marquis."

Lafayette's dimpled smile at his commander sent the women in the room into fan-waving swoons. Jeremy couldn't help grinning. Neither could Hamilton and Laurens.

"_Merci_, _mon Général_," Lafayette said, "it is always a pleasure to accompany you and meet the fine generous people of this great new and glorious country, America."

Washington saw the grins of his aides. He narrowed his eyes and they promptly assumed somber faces like chastised children. "And these are my dashing young aides, Colonels Hamilton and Laurens. They serve our Cause liberally and with honor." The colonels each bowed their heads.

Mr. Keating herded his guests into a line behind himself and Julie.

Jeremy watched and listened in awe as Lafayette greeted each individual like he or she was the most important person in the world. It was not unlike the greeting the pastor gave the newly saved at the Chester protestant church.

The teary-eyed patrons thanked the young Frenchman, embraced him, squeezed him, shook his hand nearly off, slapped his back, and kissed his cheeks. In stark contrast, they merely shook Washington's hand as he stood coolly with a reserved smile.

Jeremy recalled the awkward experiences of meeting Lafayette for the first time at Chester creek and later Washington when the Yankee Doodle Society delivered important battle plans from the field. Neither meeting had been this graceful. He still felt the embarrassment of having unknowingly told Major General, the Marquis de Lafayette to shut-up. Then he and his covert comrades brought Washington's assassin to his door. Luckily, the commander's alert life guard took care of that little problem.

"You know, Marquis," Julie said with a blush, "if you are General Washington's adopted son that makes you my adopted brother. I have always wanted a brother." Julie's comment won her a dimpled smile and blush from the young Frenchman.

"I am honored that you would consider me in such a capacity," Lafayette replied.

Hamilton grabbed Jeremy's arm. "Captain, you stand guard here by Lafayette and protect him from these aggressive gregarious matrons and Laurens and I will go sample the free food table."

"Yes, sir, Colonel." The captain's heart fell at the thought of those two pampered aides devouring _his_ beef.

Jeremy moved closer to Lafayette, who turned and acknowledged him. "Captain, I trust you have found this mob free of traitors and assassins?"

"Yes, sir. Just a pleasant evening all around."

Lafayette's wry smile told him his commander knew he was fibbing about the pleasant part. The general turned back to the Keatings.

Julie was enthralled with the young French nobleman, as her eyes never strayed from him for long. Jeremy sighed._ Replaced already._ A uniform alone was evidently not enough for Julie Keating--not that he expected her to look at him again.

"General Washington," Julie said, "it must be dreadful for you to be away from your dear Mount Vernon and family through this horrid winter. Will the army not allow you a trip home?"

"Oh, they might allow it my dear, but I cannot. I would be afraid of losing my resolve when sitting in front of my fireplace at Mount Vernon with Patsy at my side."

"And you Marquis?" Julie asked. "Could you not have returned home for the winter to your young wife, Adrienne, and your beloved children, Henriette and the newborn Anastasie? Surely, they grow weary of your absence and their sequestering at Versailles?"

The Frenchman's brows rose, his dark eyes widened in surprise--a familiar expression that Jeremy knew as alarm. Lafayette hesitated. It must have troubled him that she knew the whereabouts of his family and their names.

"_Oui,_ _Madame_, I might have, but I felt a duty to General Washington and the men to remain this winter. It is a soldier's calling."

Julie's fashionably pale face fell into a becoming pout. "It must be quite dreary with no women about. I imagine all you men talk about is war and more war. Was there no Christmas dinner? No festivities to mark the changing of the year?"

"The sentiment was there," Washington said, "but alas, the provisions were not. I cannot deny that a woman's presence can turn a dreary army headquarters into a home and improve an old soldier's disposition. I hope that Martha will be able to join me yet this winter when it is possible to travel. The roads are so bad now; we can not consider it."

"The war and the weather have combined to imprison me in this house," Julie said with a sigh.

"Unfortunately," Mr. Keating said, "I must leave her here alone for the next week as I travel to York to meet with the Continental Congress regarding appropriations for the war."

"That is regrettable," Washington said. "Might she not travel with you?"

"I don't feel it is safe and York is just a village. She would be bored. At least here, she can be comfortable and bored."

Julie crooked her smile, clearly not happy with her husband's words. "I wish I could contribute to the war effort rather than sit in a cold house all winter," she lamented. "Is there nothing at the camp that a young energetic woman might volunteer to do? Sewing, laundry or cooking?"

Mr. Keating chortled. His face turned a beat red. He rubbed his stubby hands as if to rid them of some noxious foreign material.

Julie rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Perhaps I can't really do any of those things myself, but I am perfectly capable of overseeing the work of other women who have the necessary skills. I keep this house running as well as one of your businesses do I not Rutherford?" she quipped sharply.

Mr. Keating quickly chimed, "Yes, yes, my dear, of course and you do so brilliantly. She is very talented General Washington, very talented indeed…and smart--the smartest woman I have ever known. Even the British command in Philadelphia pointed that out to me."

Jeremy bristled at Keating's reference to the British command but Washington appeared not to notice.

"You would be welcome at headquarters, my dear," Washington said. "It is only a small borrowed farm house, but your mere presence and feminine charms could indeed make it feel like a home for a short spell. I would enjoy your company and you would be perfectly safe. What do you say, Rutherford?"

_So, that's what the conniving little tartlet is after—squeezing an invitation from General Washington. Such skill._

Mr. Keating arched his bushy gray brows. "Aah…George," he stammered with a nervous voice that was at least half an octave higher than normal, "I'm n-not sure that would be appropriate for Julie. She's accustomed to a life of decadent leisure."

Julie smiled at her husband but icy scorn darted from her blue eyes.

"Dear," Mr. Keating whined in his unbecoming voice, "don't you think these officers have more pressing matters to attend to than entertaining you? Being an old militia colonel myself, I don't believe an army camp is an appropriate place for a woman of your class. You would disrupt the general's headquarters. He is being too kind to offer it."

"I don't need to be entertained," Julie whined like a little girl in return. "I need a purpose and helping General Washington would fill that need." Julie crossed her arms, and formed her heart-shaped face into a childish sulk.

Washington glanced at Lafayette and smiled. Perhaps he thought this marital whining contest might seem odd to the young French marquis. It seemed odd to Jeremy.

Keating, unsurprisingly, caved. "Very well dearest, as you please." He turned to the generals and shrugged. "Gentlemen, how can I refuse that face? Please accept my fervent apologies in advance for your suffering this lively young woman in your presence. I warn you, do not let her talk you to death!" He snickered.

Julie's eyes sparkled, her rose-tinted lips quivered. "General Washington, perhaps I could be of help with sewing or preparing bandages for the hospitals? Oh, I do ardently wish to be useful."

Washington shook his powdered head. "We have all the help we need in the many camp followers, but I am in need of a hostess in the short term. Your obvious skills would be most advantageous as I entertain dignitaries next week. I think you would enjoy meeting the many people, both local and foreign, that feel the need to visit me, like Thomas Jefferson for instance?"

The jubilant woman clasped her hands together at her throat. "Oh, what a delight that would be. Will the marquis attend as well?"

"Of course, he is part of my family. I shall accept you into my temporary home as if you were my own daughter. I have always felt that way towards you since the unfortunate death of your father."

Julie dropped her eyes and curtsied deeply. "Thank you, most kind excellent sir. I am undeserving."

"No my dear, it is I that is undeserving. I shall send a carriage for you tomorrow."

When it ended, the generals and their equipage left as fast as they had arrived. Jeremy breathed easier. He walked out into the cold evening and waited for his horse.

"I was worried you were going to take to the life of a proper army officer," Isak said as he brought up the captain's bay, "and Henry and I would have to go it alone."

"Isak, rest assured that you and Henry have nothing to fear."

The tall black man laughed. "I'll be along soon. I need to give this costume back to its rightful owner. Where's Henry?"

"Probably at the food table helping to reduce the burden of the servants by eating the remainder." Jeremy mounted his horse and with a quick doff of his feathered hat as a salute to his friend, galloped off towards Valley Forge.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

When Jeremy rode into camp, he met gray fog rolling upland from the Schuylkill after sunset. It lent a devilish appearance to the straggling soldiers wrapped in ragged blankets moving about the crimson glow of campfires. Jeremy's temporary home at Valley Forge consisted of rows of rough cabins lining muddy 'streets' atop a high windy ridge that made up the quarters of Wayne's First Pennsylvania brigade--the first line of defense in the event of an enemy attack. No one was expecting the British to attack, though, so discipline was rather lax and the farther from Washington's headquarters at the river, the more lax the discipline.

Lafayette had recently acquired the command of the Virginia Light Infantry who shared this part of the camp with the Pennsylvanians. It was a newly formed brigade of handpicked men who were tall, strong and fast. They were lucky to have Lafayette as their commander. The general used his own money when necessary to keep their spirits up with whatever extras he could find.

The Pennsylvanians that had been Lafayette's command were much chagrined by their sudden change in luck. Drum ruffles mustered the Virginians every day for work and guard duty assignment--the Pennsylvanians sat about and loitered to watch. It irritated Jeremy mightily that General Wayne didn't see to the discipline of his regiments. Was it jealousy, state pride, or shear madness that set these men to fighting in the muddy company streets from time to time? He didn't yet know. He just tried to avoid the skirmishes.

Jeremy entered the smoke-filled dirt floor cabin that he shared with Sergeant Alan McDonald. The older man didn't notice his entrance as he was asleep sitting up with his hat over his face. The rough-hewed Scot possessed a great fund of sagely advice for the youthful irregular. Jeremy had grown fond of him. McDonald was talented, too--he could out-cuss the devil, spit the farthest of any man and was quite skillful at tossing his jackknife between his toes. With a cough and a sputter, the sergeant awoke to greet his cabin mate with a highland accent worn along the edges by his keeping company with English, Irish and Germans. "Ho lad? I see ye've survived the mission--but what o' Washington?"

"'Twas an uneventful evening, but the music was nice."

"What o' the free food?" the sergeant teased.

"I could not touch one crumb with the thought of you here with nothing."

McDonald laughed. "Lad, ye are too good for yeer own good. Ye better learn different. I expect a complete accountin' of that spread. At least my imagination can be thus fed."

Sergeant McDonald was a not a tidy man; his whiskers were three days old, his shaggy blond hair rebelled against the black ribbon that tried to hold it at the nape of his neck. His frayed vest gapped at missing buttons; his boots were muddy, his shirttail not quite tucked. He looked Jeremy up and down with the eye of a superior though and whistled through his teeth. "Ye look as smart as the pretty boys at headquarters. Why come to think of it, ye resemble yeer late brother--."

"I hate to disappoint you but I can't wait to get out of this stiff garb." Jeremy recoiled at the comparison to Robert though he knew his relation to his beloved brother was the reason this corps so easily accepted him as an enlisted private. His captaincy was to be kept under wraps accept for this night.

McDonald laughed. "Aye, clothes don't make a man as I am livin' proof, but tell me did ye happen to meet Lady Keating?"

Jeremy frowned. "Aye. Why do you ask?"

The older man narrowed his eyes. "She be a man-killer, Larkin. 'Tis true as the sky is blue. Be careful, lad."

"Really? Just because she's the most beautiful woman in a ten mile radius of this camp?"

"Tss, tss--ye have fallen heart-first for the she-bear."

"Alan," Jeremy said in a commanding tone.

"I'm just chattin' ye up lad; don't be gettin' yeer serious side up. I understand from General Wayne, who's a bagpipe if ye ply him with enough whiskey, that Washington considers her his own daughter. Her husband's an old chum o' his. They served with Braddock together."

"A short-lived acquaintance then."

Alan grinned. "Aye 'twas sadly so, but Washington maintains acquaintances. They come in handy when ye need things like money t' support an army."

"Of course. He and Lafayette made a good show this evening. Julie is coming to visit headquarters while her husband is away."

The Scotsman arched one bushy brow.

"An innocent visit with her adoptive father," Jeremy explained.

The sergeant bellowed laughter as he leaned back in his rough chair made from the discards of the hut building. "I dunno. When a man is idle and bored his head will turn t' tittle-tattle like an old wife!" He shook his blond head. "I don't believe for a minute the visit is all innocent as ye say. Lady Julie arranged that with her flirtatious arts I'm sure. I've heard some things…"

"More of Wayne's gossip I suppose?"

"If ye're willin' t' listen, I'll tell ye what I know."

The young spy wanted to say no, but realized he should not turn down information in this camp. He eyed his haggard messmate with anticipation.

"Wayne says Julie tries t' conquer every man in britches that crosses her path and she rarely fails in her ambition."

Jeremy laughed. "Well, I have to say, it would take a strong-willed fellow to refuse her."

"Perhaps you think 'tis nothin' but drunken prattle but ye might see the reason for it if ye knew what Wayne knows. He says old man Keating's been cheatin' on Julie for years with low-life whores and barmaids. Seems that Julie is just too perfect for him."

"That is twaddle and cruel even from General Wayne's mouth. What husband in his right mind would refuse a wife like Julie Keating in bed?"

"Believe me, lad, Wayne would know. I dare say, the general and Mr. Keating have brushed shoulders at the same taverns and bawdy houses." McDonald chuckled. "Wayne says the lady kicked Keating out o' her bed. She knows all about his ramblin' eye--she don't want to be scalded with the clap. She has her own money, but 'tis locked up in land and General Washington has been turnin' it over t' her inch-by-inch ever since she turned twenty-five. It's in _her_ name not her husband's. That's the problem right there I say. Who ever heard of givin' a woman control of land?" McDonald laughed and shook his head. "Wayne reckons when she has all her holdin's she may just walk away from old Keating and return to her beloved England."

"Huh?" Jeremy laughed at the absurdity of the discourse. "What gammon? How would General Wayne know all of that?" McDonald's sly smirk gave the answer and ended Jeremy's amusement with the story. "I'm going to take a walk. Do you want to accompany me?"

"No thanks. I've done that ten times o'r this evenin'. I'll just sit here and chew on this piece o' bark."

Jeremy felt the cabin too close for comfort though he knew the soldiers were packed into the same size cabin twelve count like sardines in a crock. The smoke escaping from the clay-daubed stick chimney burned his eyes and nostrils. A soldier could not escape the smell of burning wood. It permeated his clothes and went with him everywhere he went. "Did Lafayette return to his cabin?" Jeremy asked.

"Nay. He must be stayin' at headquarters again. His Excellency can't seem t' do without him."

"He just favors his company."

"Aye. Of course. Lafayette is a veritable perpetual candelabrum--no candles required. But heck, I'm startin' t' pine for the winsome boy myself. I miss his parleyvoo and long t' hear once again as I'm sloshin' through the muck, 'tuck een that shirttail, _capitaine_--hold that cheen up!' I swear those Virginians stole our Irish luck when they got that lad as their commander."

Jeremy chuckled as he stepped out into the quiet night. Most of the men were in their cabins bedded down on rough bunk beds with rags for blankets. He figured he had about an hour before the drums beat reverie after which he would have to be in his cabin.

Low voices stopped him in his tracks--"I'll raise you ten," said a youth. "Show your species, Seth, afore you brag about it," replied an older didactic voice, which was promptly answered by a gruff and vicious, "Boy, if all you got's Continentals we'll stuff 'em down your throat and make you eat 'em." Jeremy shivered. He knew he would be 'fresh chicken' like that boy in this regiment if it wasn't for the protection he had from Sergeant McDonald. A lonely painful whinny issued from nearby. The skin-and-bones horses were dropping dead in their corrals and rotting where they lay.

He crunched through the snow and ice along the path that followed frozen Valley Creek. It was pitch black in the shadows of Mount Joy to the east and Mount Misery to the west. The blue shimmer of the snow when the moon peeked through the clouds was the only relief from the darkness. The route he followed was treacherous. One slip of the foot could send a man tumbling down into the icy creek but it was the fastest means of reaching the destination that beckoned him--the lights and bustle about Washington's headquarters. Elizabeth Coates, his girl, was there. She was pretending to be a maid as part of their cover. He had been reluctant to bring her along, but Elizabeth insisted. She would not be missed at home; her uncle was in New York on an extended business trip.

As he approached Washington's headquarters, he saw Elizabeth's spare form standing silhouetted in the doorway against the yellow light from within. She was accepting a package from a courier.

"Elizabeth, wait," Jeremy called out.

The petite teenaged girl stepped inside, picked up a lantern, and returned. "Come into the light," she said softly." I want to see you in that uniform. I'm surprised you are still in it."

Jeremy shrugged. He stopped several meters from the front stoop of the two-story stone house. "You come out here."

Elizabeth pulled her shawl close and walked out to meet him. "How was the party?"

"I figured you knew seeing that you are living with the generals."

"Oh, Jeremy, they didn't say a thing about it. It's routine to them."

"'Twas a very fancy mansion. Marble floors--huge candelabras. The servants all wore a uniform of the same color. You should have seen Isak."

"I bet he could have done without that!"

"Aye. He's a good fellow to play along though. Henry was in heaven at the buffet."

Elizabeth laughed. "I hope he doesn't make himself sick."

"You shall soon have another female in that house full of young officers; Julie Keating is coming to stay at headquarters for a week. I shall finally be able to get some sleep. I've been tossing and turning every night worrying about who might be trying to steal a buss from you."

"All of that is news to me, young sir. What was she like?"

"A flirtatious tart--flippant and bored with her privileged life. She's almost half the age of her husband who looked fifty."

"Why does she want to come here? This is an odd destination for a gentrified lady."

"Her husband is going to be away. Washington invited her…or she rather invited herself. She favors young people. All of her husband's friends are old cronies."

"Jeremy," Elizabeth admonished.

"She well-nigh swooned over Lafayette."

"I imagine every woman does that."

"True. They couldn't keep their hands off of him at that party."

"You sound jealous. Would you like a cackle of middle-aged women bussing your cheek and calling you 'my dear boy'?"

Jeremy groaned, which drew a giggle from Elizabeth brightening his mood.

The girl shivered and drew her shawl closer about her neck. "I have to go in."

"I guess this is a bit improper for a headquarters maid to loiter with a young officer in the yard."

"Aye, but it's fun. Come every night." Elizabeth quickly kissed Jeremy. "Good night, sweet dreams, and don't worry. You know General Lafayette would never let any man even look at me with mischief in his eye, much less take a flourish."

Jeremy smiled and nodded, as he knew the general would treat her as his charge. He watched her open the door to the lighted interior and disappear. Her departure left him feeling cold, outcast and a mite silly in his borrowed uniform. He strolled to the side of the house under the lantern-lit arched breezeway that connected to the separate kitchen. The burly guards huddled near the kitchen to keep warm eyed him with suspicion. He checked the door to the house and found it unlocked and unbarred. _Who is responsible for locking the doors around here?_ His captain's uniform was keeping the men from accosting him. He dared not push his luck by speaking that insolent question aloud. No one knew from where the threat to Washington's life would come. Informants had passed the credible urgent information to Colonel Tilghman, Washington's top aide, who summoned the Yankee Doodle Society to come and act as infiltrators--eyes watching and ears listening to the camp gossip. The task was exhilarating to the young rebel but frightening as well. It was what really kept him awake at night.

* * *

When Elizabeth returned into the house, she sat her lantern on the console table near the door, then pivoted and ran smack into tall General Lafayette standing with his hands clasped behind his back.

The timid girl jumped back and clapped her hands to her mouth. "Sir, you startled me."

"I'm sorry, mademoiselle," he said with a serious face. "Please forgive me but I couldn't help noticing your punctual trips out to the yard this time of night. A beau perchance? I believe I should meet that bold young suitor before this _affaire_ goes any further." The general arched one dark brow.

"Sir." Elizabeth frowned at the Frenchman. He knew whom she was meeting in the yard.

Lafayette laughed. His impish dimples and sparkling young eyes made Elizabeth giggle. He was enjoying teasing her and she accepted it without complaint because she loved it. She was pretty sure none of her compatriots in the Yankee Doodle Society had ever seen this playful side of the serious Frenchman—it made her feel privileged. The young nobleman turned and strode into the parlor where Washington was standing near the fireplace.

"Elizabeth," General Washington called out, "is that you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Come join us dear. We will only talk of war if you don't hold your ground."

"As you wish, sir." She stepped into Washington's office, which he used as a parlor to entertain guests as well as a dining room. After taking a seat on the delicate red divan that faced the crackling fire, she fingered a newspaper that lay carelessly beside her. It was a two-month-old Virginia Gazette. General Washington had been catching up with the news from his home state.

"Now, tell me about that handsome young man I often see you with outside," the elder general asked with a twinkle in his gray eye. "My dear, you are so young that I feel the need to play father to you while you are under my roof."

Elizabeth blushed and shared a knowing glance with Lafayette. "He is a friend from Chester."

"Ah. Just a friend?"

"Yes, sir."

Lafayette leaned with one arm outstretched, his hand against the mantel, and the other arm behind his back. Washington was enjoying a glass of Madeira.

"Marquis, I would like for you to take the carriage and pick up Mrs. Keating in the morning."

The younger man looked at his commander incredulously. "Sir? Might one of the aides do that?"

"My dear marquis, I wish for Julie to feel a part of this family, not an obligation."

Lafayette took his commander's words as an order and bowed his head. "As you wish, sir."

"Elizabeth," General Washington said, "a young lady that I consider a daughter is coming to visit tomorrow. You shall enjoy her company. I believe it would be proper for me to introduce you as a friend of the family rather than the maid. It should not interfere with your covert duties. What do you think, Marquis?"

"Ah…I think that would be fine. I'm sure Mrs. Keating will appreciate female company in this house full of men." The marquis smirked at his commander. "What shall you do with the ten or so that are camped out in the front room?"

"Aye, my young aides can be rather coarse at times, not to mention the daily visitors. I shall issue a house order to have them mind their behavior--and evict them to their cabins in the morning."

"I would be happy to move to my new cabin that still smells of fresh wood chips," Lafayette said. "If I don't claim it soon, I shall be in the position of evicting squatters."

Washington chuckled into his goblet. "I want you to stay here while Julie is here."

Lafayette's dark eyebrows dipped.

"I trust you, and everyone in this camp trusts you with their daughters. I can not say that of Hamilton or Laurens."

The younger man looked up wide-eyed. "It would seem that Tench Tilghman might be infinitely more trustworthy with everyone's daughters than I."

"Yes, I agree with you, but Colonel Tilghman is over thirty, so he will not do." The older general glanced at Elizabeth and winked without cracking a smile.

Lafayette was chafing under his commander's apparent design upon his time. He sighed audibly and struggled to hold his tongue. Washington didn't miss it.

"Shall we put it to a proper authority?" Washington asked. "Elizabeth do tell, would you rather spend a week in the company of the improbably handsome and charming Marquis de Lafayette, twenty-year-old Frenchman of noble birth, or would you rather spend it with shy Mr. Tilghman, merchant of Maryland?"

"Oh, sir, please, that is so unfair," Elizabeth mockingly complained, as she now knew the commander invited her in to be an accomplice to his designs upon Lafayette. "Colonel Tilghman is a very sweet and thoughtful man--brave too as I have heard of late."

"But?" General Washington asked with a glimmer of humor in his gray eyes.

"But, if I _must_ answer…" Elizabeth glanced at the young Frenchman and felt her face grow warm at the very thought of looking at him that way. She could not deny that he was pleasant to look at, pleasant to listen to; it was simply always a joy to be in his presence. "I would pick the Marquis de Lafayette of course," she said with a sly smile.

Lafayette rolled his dark eyes to the ceiling.

"Just as I thought," Washington said. "It is settled then. Marquis run along now and get some sleep so that you can be your bright and cheerful self in the morning. You seem abnormally irritable this evening."

"Sir, you know that my most fervent wish is always to please you, but will you not at least tell me something of your history with this lady that I might be prepared to converse with her?"

Washington took another sip of his wine. His face turned somber as he drew the beverage away from his lips. "Poor Julie. She has grown into the marriage, but I now feel culpable. Age has made her radiantly beautiful, but Rutherford has let himself go in the most grievous manner. I thought I was doing what was best for my friend's daughter, now I am not so sure..."

"What do you mean, sir?" Lafayette asked.

"Julie's father was a good friend of mine. We grew up together in Virginia. He was tragically killed in a fall from a horse. He left me executor of his estate and care of his daughter. She was in boarding school in London when the accident happened. I was newly married and Martha advised me to help the girl find a suitable marriage. As an orphan, she was without the acquaintances here in her native country to meet the right man. She was destined for spinsterhood or an improper marriage of the heart. Well, I had a responsibility, she was an only child, heir to her father's estate and a great deal of money was at stake."

"So you arranged her marriage to Mr. Keating?" Lafayette asked.

"Yes. He was a widow, childless. It seemed the perfect match at the time. He was an acquaintance from my militia days that had become a trusted business contact. He was, and still is, a well respected citizen of the community about here."

"Why do you doubt your decision, General?" Elizabeth asked. "If she is well provided for with Mr. Keating as her husband, when the children come, she will find great happiness in making a home for them. They will keep her young."

Washington smiled. "If only that were the situation, Elizabeth. They have been married going on ten years and have no children. I'm afraid Keating shares the same affliction as I. Julie seemed disheartened this evening. I could see it in her eyes when she looked at him. I'm sure you would agree Marquis that she is living under a heavy burden to be married to that man."

Elizabeth looked puzzled at General Lafayette who only shrugged. The conversation died as she thought of what Washington meant by 'his affliction'. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. Feeling the need to break the prickly silence, she offered, "We shall just have to make her feel at home and offer a distraction from these dreary difficult times."

"Yes, indeed," Washington said. "I think she will especially enjoy being in the company of _our_ marquis."

Lafayette's dimpled smile showed his embarrassment at Washington's implication, which surprised Elizabeth. She expected that of her bashful Jeremy, but not the marquis. Was that the cause of his apparent reticence regarding Lady Keating? "General Lafayette, you wouldn't be shy of an attractive woman's admiration now would you?" Elizabeth asked.

Lafayette didn't answer. He just bowed his dark head and gazed into the fire.

"I thought he wouldn't mind the change in company," Washington said. "He would never tell us that he's tired of the prattle and grumbling of middle-aged generals. Of course he has Martha's mothering to look forward to in the coming months, and perhaps Caty Greene's flirtations in perfect French."

The young Frenchman rewarded Washington's efforts at teasing--he laughed aloud and for a moment sounded his age.

Elizabeth could see no discomfort in Lafayette's glance at his commander. He looked natural in his role as adopted son of this household, even to the point of his apparent willfulness. She had quickly discerned that the Frenchman's presence brightened Washington's normally sober nature, but Lafayette wanted to be somewhere else than in this house. Was it just a desire to appear to suffer with his men alike, or a need for action like a good skirmish with the British? Elizabeth dared not ask, even in private. No matter how friendly the young general was with her, he was still a general and a wealthy French nobleman and she was, well--an orphan living under a roof only by the grace of her Tory uncle.

Lafayette moved from the fireplace. "I will need to leave before dawn so that I may return in time to ensure my men receive their rations. You two may talk about me more freely in my absence," he said with a bright grin. "Good night Elizabeth, General."

"Good night, Marquis," Washington said. "You will be with us for dinner tomorrow won't you?"

"Of course."

After Lafayette left and went upstairs, General Washington turned and said, "Miss Coates, I would like for you to move to the front bedroom upstairs and share it with Julie. I think that would be the best arrangement for two young ladies in this bachelor hall. It shall be more comfortable than that drafty servant's cabin you have been assigned."

"Will the cook not be suspicious of my moving upstairs, sir?"

Washington waved his hand towards the kitchen and shook his head. "It is none of her affair. She doesn't yet know why you are here. I will explain in the morning that you are a visiting friend of the family that was mistakenly placed in the servants' quarters. I will borrow a maid from the neighboring farm. My dear, I simply cannot bring myself to treat you like a common servant. I don't believe that was your intended place in life. Am I wrong?"

Elizabeth blushed at the general's concerned paternal face. "I am an orphan, sir. I have no place except my Uncle John's. He took me in. He is a well-to-do Loyalist landholder of Chester County. I'm afraid I do my share of cooking and cleaning about his farm."

"Then he is a boorish brute." Washington looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes for a moment. "Ah, Elizabeth, an orphan indeed? Then that will make us a temporary family of orphans."

Elizabeth was puzzled.

"I lost my father at a young age. The marquis and Colonel Hamilton were orphaned by thirteen. Julie, as I have explained, was orphaned as well."

Elizabeth smiled. "A house of orphans, indeed." She thought it both odd and sweet that this powerful man would notice such things about the people around him.

The general retired to his bedchamber upstairs leaving Elizabeth alone doubting herself and her ability to entertain a wealthy society lady. The entrance of the cook broke her troubled reverie as she came in to put out the lights and the fire. Elizabeth watched her slim form dressed in a simple rough cotton shift tucked under her brown skirt. She moved silently about her work.

"He'll stay up writing letters all night," the cook, Hannah said, evidently speaking because she thought Elizabeth still a servant only slightly above herself."

"I suppose his work never really ends does it?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, miss. Mrs. Washington says he mumbles in his sleep sometimes--giving orders to everyone." Hannah winked and chuckled. Elizabeth laughed aloud. The small black matronly woman's twinkling eyes and quick wit endeared her to everyone. It was easy to understand why General Washington had brought her from Mt. Vernon to cook for him. Elizabeth enjoyed spending time talking in the kitchen with her as a retreat from the crowds of men that frequented headquarters, though Hannah often engaged in gossip--a substance passed like salt between the servants of the various officers' quarters. She knew the gregarious woman would not speak to her at all when she learns she is to sleep in the house as part of the commander's family.

After the cook left, Elizabeth put on her heavy cloak and boots, which were stored in the back hall, and trudged through a foot of snow to her assigned cabin nearby. She gathered her few possessions and returned to headquarters. After removing her cold wet outer garments, she tiptoed upstairs. There was a light under General Lafayette's door. He was probably writing letters, too. She wondered if generals ever slept. The door to her room creaked on its hinges. The room was dark and chilly. She sighed aloud as she realized she would have to find some wood and light the fire.

"Ah, moving to the 'best room' I see," said a deep French voice at her shoulder. She jumped and turned to see the handsome general minus his blue coat.

"General Lafayette, what are you doing still up?"

"Writing a letter to my wife. It is both a pleasure and a duty. I believe you need to light the fire. I shall help you. There is extra wood in General Washington's chamber. I saw the woodsman leave an armful earlier." He handed her a pewter candlestick and stepped away to retrieve the wood, knocking on the door before gaining entry. She walked into her new room and quickly put her things in one of the empty drawers of a dresser. There were two small army camp beds in the room, two dressers and little else, except for an officer's coat left behind hanging on a closet door. She imagined Julie Keating would be greatly disappointed in these accommodations.

Lafayette returned with the wood and started the fire for her. "That should keep you warm awhile. There should be extra blankets in the armoire in the hall if you need them." He walked over and retrieved the errant coat. "I will find the owner of this."

Elizabeth chuckled. "General, I am supposed to be the maid, remember?"

"Oh, _oui_, of course," the young man said with a wry grin. "I didn't think General Washington would go along with that act for long. He can be quite the doting father with the young ladies."

"Aye, I have seen that inclination, but I don't mind at all. You both have made me feel part of the family."

"It is a pleasure, mademoiselle. Now I must leave you, my unfinished letter awaits."

"Good night, sir." Elizabeth walked to the windows and closed the drapes.

"_Bonne nuit_." The general closed the squeaky door behind him, but then opened it again, stuck his dark head back in and said with a dimpled smile, "We shall see to this squeak in the morning."

Elizabeth sat down on one of the beds and looked about the humble room. She knew the house belonged to a prominent Quaker family who had previously used it as a summer home. A widow of the family had been living in it. There were traces of her everywhere. In this room, there was a small spinning wheel pushed into a dark corner and a sewing basket on the floor beside it overflowing with leftover spools of thread. The soldiers had probably moved the loom to the attic. There was a painting of a girl on the wall—a lifeless gaze like a death portrait. She wondered if the child had been the widow's and imagined her short life in this house.

The teenager had never been away from her Uncle's farm for so long and she was feeling a bit homesick. Tears formed in her eyes as she realized that she had never before felt part of a family as she had over the last two weeks of her stay at headquarters. She caught her breath when she heard General Washington walking about in his chamber. How silly of me, she thought, and wiped the tears from her eyes. She arose and got ready for bed.

* * *

Deep footprints led unseen around the side of the stables near Washington's headquarters. A misty shadow passed over a stone wall at midnight as a break in the clouds allowed the stealthy moonlight to cast the world in shades of blue.

An alarm would have been sounded, if anyone had known the evil thoughts contained in the head of this monster, but the shadow and the hunched slinking form went unseen in plain sight of the sentries. Every living soul in the one-month-old winter camp had been driven inside except the sentries who, wrapped in blankets, stomped and shivered near their fires that dotted the camp like red-glowing orbs.

The cowed one drudged through the snow to a familiar hidden vantage point with a view of the front of Washington's headquarters. The cold blood-shot eyes leered at the upper story windows of the house. The drapes had not yet been drawn on the busy life of General Washington and his military family.

The stalker knew every night when Washington left his office and retired to his upstairs bedchamber. He also knew when General Lafayette was in residence in the small room over the entry. Other guests came and went but usually there were only the two generals this time of night and sometimes a bevy of young aides asleep on the floor in the ground floor front room.

The dark distressed mind contemplated an action plan, every night the same, until dawn approached and the animal returned unnoticed to its den. This night he saw Lafayette and a young lady conversing in the front bedroom. He had thought her a kindly maid, but why was she there with that haughty French brat that fancied himself the adopted son of Washington? He spit on the snow in anger.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Lafayette gazed languidly upon the lifeless gray landscape as the carriage rumbled towards the Keating estate. It was dawn, but the stone-colored clouds blocked the sun's rays. A hazy fog lay heavy upon the snow-clad land reducing visibility. His thoughts wandered to his young wife living at Versailles with their two babies. The thoughts made him homesick as a child, and as was often the case, brought tears to his eyes. He felt guilty for not going home for the winter, but he could not abandon his mentor--his adopted father--in these trying times.

The carriage turned down the tree-lined lane towards the large gray manor. The horse's hooves clapped over stone pavers. The land about the house was wild with no signs of cultivation or pasture. Though Lafayette knew the army needed the donated money they received at the Keating party, there was little to buy with it. Idle land was a crime to the young general concerned with feeding and clothing his men.

The Palladian style mansion sat on a hill with out-stretched wings holding the land in its arms. It was a stucco-clad mass setting on a stone base with a central gabled portico. Large round-topped windows graced its wings. Lafayette saw only a cheap copy of an out-of-style Venetian merchant's country home filched from Palladio's "The Four Books of Architecture." He mumbled to himself, "there is no accounting for taste." The young Frenchman felt he was being pulled into a prison as the carriage entered through a tall gaudy stucco archway encrusted with roman symbols of commerce. He trembled at the thought of the beautiful Julie Keating in the arms of that loutish dog of a husband. General Wayne had told him more than he had wanted to know of the couple over a late night whiskey. He was greatly troubled by that and cursed Wayne's bothersome impertinence under his breath.

Servants greeted the young man as he stepped from the carriage in his long greatcoat. They ushered him into the entry hall, which was cold and dark compared to its gaiety of the night before. Lafayette removed his hat and placed it under his arm as the butler approached.

"Sir, my lady is not quite packed. She begs a few more minutes. You may rest in the parlor. I would be happy to bring you some refreshment, a coffee?"

"Thank you. I will not require refreshment. I am happy to wait."

Lafayette strode into the posh parlor that was incongruous with the exterior of the home. It seemed unusually decadent and English to him after having become accustomed to the frugal homes of his American friends. Was it Mr. or Mrs. Keating that had a taste for English décor? He did not care for it and had grown quite fond of American functional simplicity and scarcity of clutter. He walked about the room and peered at the paintings—all portraits. The faces stared back at him with austere scornful eyes. He felt a chill and shuddered.

"The Keating legacy—horse traders and land speculators. Mr. Keating prays at their alter every day that he might keep his hands on all the land about here."

Lafayette turned towards the source of the feminine voice to see Julie Keating dressed in a green velvet travel gown and matching wide-brimmed hat, a dark velvet cloak on her arm. "_Bonjour_, _Madame_ Keating," he said with a slight bow of his head.

"Good morning to you, sir. I am pleasantly surprised, Marquis. I so much wanted to converse with you last night. Now you shall be my captive escort for the ride to Valley Forge. How charming and thoughtful of my dear Uncle George."

"It is I who am surprised and charmed, _madame_." The breath-taking beauty of the woman overwhelmed Lafayette. Her waves of copper hair, shapely curves and sparkling large blue eyes banished his train of thought and his English for a moment. He stood speechless.

"I'm afraid my limited experience of the world may bore you, Marquis."

"Oh, no madam. On the contrary. That is precisely what I most enjoy about the company of young American women. They are not as pretentious as their European counterparts."

The butler entered the room. "Madam, Marquis. The luggage is packed. You may leave at your leisure."

"Thank you, Fredrick," Julie said. "Shall we, Marquis?"

"Of course." Lafayette walked to Julie and offered to assist her with her cloak, which she relinquished with a smile. She slipped her demure hand under his arm and stroked the brass buttons of his sleeve.

"I'm sure you will enjoy your stay at headquarters," the general said as he donned his cocked hat. "It is quite comfortable though modest."

The couple walked outside and Julie gasped at the sight of twenty mounted guardsmen waiting patiently for the reappearance of their young commander. Lafayette and Julie boarded the carriage and took seats across from each other. At a crack of a whip, the conveyance took off with a jolt throwing the lady into the general's arms.

Julie laughed in his ear as she propped herself up with her hands against his shoulders. The general lifted her and held her steady about the waist until she regained her balance. "Are you unharmed, _madame_?" he asked.

"Quite. That driver is in a hurry. I should have whispered to him to proceed slowly that I might steal more of your time."

Her heady perfume filled the small space of the carriage. A substance the Frenchman rarely experienced in America; it drew his mind home to France and his family.

She sat back and brushed a loose curl from her face. "Perhaps I have just forgotten how to brace myself for the departure. My traveling has been greatly curtailed."

"By the war?"

"Aye and my husband. He is over-protective of me."

"I can understand why that might be. I would be guilty of the same if I were in his place."

Julie blushed. "I have traveled about when he was gone on long business trips. I have visited Philadelphia and New York, alone, with servants of course. The last time I made such an impromptu trip, Mr. Keating came home early and was quite angry with me. He has forbid me to venture out again when he is not with me."

"Perchance when the war ends, you will be freed from your restriction."

"Perchance, indeed. In the meanwhile, my friends must do without my company."

The carriage creaked and bounced over frozen snow, but was soon moving swiftly and smoothly on the graded road that led to Valley Forge from Paoli. The horse's hooves pounded the hard frozen ground in a steady rhythm.

"So tell me, Mrs. Keating," Lafayette asked, "what was General Washington like when you were a child?"

The lady's eyes sparkled as if the general had entered upon her beloved topic. "He was like a favorite uncle. I had no other family in America but my father. I thought George Washington a charming man and adored him, though he was always quite serious. It was not easy to warm to him, but once his affection shined upon me, I felt like a very special princess. He never failed to have a gift for me in his hand when he visited. Father thought the world of him."

"I understand you were sent to school in London?"

"Aye. That was my mother's wish. She was from London. Father had met and married her there when he was acting as a factor for the tobacco growers in Virginia. I spent my first eight years there with my aunt before Father retrieved me and brought me back to Virginia. Of course, I hated the plantation life. It was too secluded for me having become used to bustling London."

"Did you visit Paris?"

"Yes. I found it breathtakingly lovely and so romantic among the ancient streets and edifices. The people, the children were so lovely."

Lafayette laughed gaily. "Some parts would fit your description, other parts are best avoided. I've always found the countryside of France and the country people most captivating."

Mrs. Keating dropped her eyes to her lap. "I suppose I was a bit young and lightheaded when I was there." She looked up shyly under the brim of her hat. "I can see _you_ in Paris, Marquis. It fits you and you fit it." After flinging her hat off with a flourish of her gloved hand, she gripped the startled Frenchman with her eyes. "Now it is my turn to ask questions," she announced with a wily smile, which amused her escort. "Why did General Washington refer to you as his adopted son? Are your parents deceased?"

"It would be more accurate to say I adopted him. My father was killed in battle when I was two. My mother died of an illness when I was twelve."

"I'm so sorry. I know how it feels to lose ones parents but I never knew my mother. I can imagine the loss of a mother to be quite devastating for a child."

"Actually, I hardly knew her. She left me in the care of my grandmother and two aunts at the country estate while she returned to her social life in Paris. I guess I was a bit of a disappointment."

"Oh, surely not! No mother could possibly be disappointed in you my dear Marquis."

"You share her name, Julie."

"Really? How nice. I shall imagine her a compassionate sweet soul watching over her son from above. She must have been kind and beautiful to have created you." The woman hesitated; she dropped her eyes to her lap for a long moment. "We have more in common than I realized."

"_Oui_, madam, we both have adopted George Washington."

Mrs. Keating giggled and looked up with mirth-filled eyes. "I cannot think of a better father."

"Nor I, Mrs. Keating."

"Please Marquis, I would love to hear you call me Julie, and many times over the course of my visit. You say it so beautifully with that French accent. I would hear it as a son honoring his mother."

"As you wish, Julie."

"You married young," Julie declared. "Was it an arranged marriage? Tell me if I am being too forward with my questions."

"It is quite all right. _Oui_, it was an arranged marriage as is normal for my class. The quantity of money, you know, makes it imperative. Marriage is a business arrangement. I was sixteen and she was fourteen. My mother's grandfather arranged--"

"Fourteen?" Julie's highbrows arched in disbelief.

"_Oui_. It was another year before the marriage was consummated and only because I cheated and secreted myself in her room at night. Her parents wanted her to finish her education before we took up residence together and even then we had to live with her parents."

Julie put her gloved hand to her mouth in surprise making Lafayette feel like he had misspoke. He was always doing that and it was most discomforting.

"You poor man!" the lady exclaimed with a twinkle of humor in her eyes. "That must have been dreadful."

"It wasn't so bad, but I do not want to return to that arrangement! So see, things could be a lot worse for you being an orphan in the world." Lafayette smiled to alleviate the burning hurtful memories of his family arrangement back home. His scheming father-in-law had no use for his wealthy son-in-law, but the hope of gaining control of the boy marquis's land and money. Lafayette had no idea when the family had taken him into their home that he was to be married to one of the daughters. He was an orphan and had naively thought they were just concerned for him. The memories of the duc D'Ayen's chiding voice and rebukes still rang in his ears. D'Ayen was no substitute for a father; nature had seen fit not to grant him a son probably for the best.

"Yes, I agree, Marquis. One has to hear of the world and other's experiences to appreciate one's own situation. The old Quaker matrons around Paoli think it is their business to tell me to count my blessings and smile more, but sometimes I feel that I have nothing to smile about."

"It is difficult for you because your husband is so much older, _non_?"

"Yes. I too am in an arranged marriage because of the money involved. It would not be so bad if he was an interesting man, or good company, but all he does of an evening is sit by the fire with his papers and his pipe. An hour after dinner he is asleep in his chair."

Lafayette felt sorry for the woman. She was too beautiful and bright to be so ill-treated. "I am sorry to hear that. He should be more thoughtful of your needs."

Julie laughed gaily. "My _needs_, indeed. Are you thoughtful of your wife's needs, Marquis?"

Lafayette felt his face grow warm. "I'm afraid not, madam. I am here pursuing fame on the battlefield and she is there with two small babies to care for and worry over. I am a very bad husband-- _très mauvais_. I miss them terribly and write often. I don't hear from my wife nearly enough. She has no idea how painful that is."

Julie's face brightened with astonishment. "You love your wife?"

"Oh, yes. I have grown to love her and the children through her letters. She is quite beautiful and quite devoted to me and my _nouvelle_ _cause_." The general reached in his vest pocket and pulled out a silver locket. "Here is her picture and mine when we married."

Julie took the locket and gazed upon the miniature paintings. She smiled and looked up at him through long dark lashes as if comparing the picture with the man. "You were both very young."

"_Oui._ Life moves fast--too fast for the very wealthy of France."

"You are but twenty now?"

"That is correct."

"Then I am very sad for you that your wife can not be here like the other officer's wives. I imagine it is quite fretful at times, especially late at night when you are alone and the army is put to bed." Julie's face turned mournful as if she were remembering something very sad. "She has the children to comfort her in your absence. I don't even have that and have no hope for it."

"My acute homesickness almost carried me there even in the treacherous hurricane season, but I felt that General Washington needed me here."

"You are a devoted adopted son. That is quite admirable, Marquis. I'm sure he loves you dearly for it."

"I venerate him and cherish his admiration. He is truly the father I never had. I would do anything and go to any lengths to please his Excellency. I would die for the man."

Julie bowed her head and then turned to watch the landscape passing outside the carriage. She was quiet for a time, which made the general concerned that he had somehow lost her interest. His commander would be unhappy with him if he disappointed his 'adopted' daughter, but entertaining women with sparkling wit was not one of his natural talents. The American women's fawning over him was nothing but embarrassing. A painful memory of attempting to dance with Marie Antoinette at fourteen and falling on his face darkened his mind. Hearing all of the young courtiers laughing at him cut him to the core. He clenched his jaws. The young man swore to himself as he did so often that he would have his day. He would turn those jeers to awe and respect if it killed him. Lafayette took a deep breath realizing he had let the conversation drop. "Julie, I should warn you that the American camp is a dreadful sight of squalor. It is shocking to behold, but I assure you the general's quarters are quite comfortable and safe."

Julie turned her wide blue eyes upon him, seemingly not hearing his words. "I'm sorry, Marquis, I had drifted off into a daydream. You were saying?"

"I said you may be shocked when you see the American camp. It is dreadful."

The lady smiled. "Not to worry, I promise I will not faint or display the feminine weaknesses to embarrass you as we frail females are prone to do."

"I think you will find your accommodations comfortable but unequal to your own home."

"That's quite all right. It is appropriate for us all to 'rough-it' as we can in support of those poor suffering men."

"Yes. I feel the same. I stay with my men as much as General Washington will allow me."

Julie's eyebrows rose, but she remained quiet.

The carriage and its entourage passed the pickets at Valley Forge without stopping and soon pulled up to a small austere two-story stone house.

"Washington's headquarters?" Julie asked.

"_Oui_."

"How quaint and charming."

The door opened to General Washington who bowed to Julie and assisted her to the ground. Hay covered the mud. Lafayette knew there wasn't enough hay to feed the horses in camp, but here it was on the ground to keep a lady's boot dry. He vowed to hold his tongue about it, though. The lady picked up her skirts to reveal small delicate ankles in laced black stockings that the young Frenchman didn't miss. He sighed and followed her out of the carriage.

"Julie, welcome to our humble home, such as it is," General Washington said. "I hope you are not disappointed."

"Oh, no, General Washington. I'm sure I will love it here." Julie turned to General Lafayette. "Thank you for the lovely escort, Marquis. I enjoyed it immensely and hope that I might take pleasure in your company again while I am here."

Lafayette bowed. "I must leave you in General Washington's capable hands for now. I have an appointment with a certain deputy commissary to see that my troops are fed today."

"We will see you at dinner, Marquis?" General Washington asked.

"_Oui,_ _mon_ _Général_, of course."

* * *

Jeremy lingered in the breezeway along side headquarters when Lafayette's carriage arrived. He was hoping for a rendezvous with Elizabeth in the kitchen but she had not appeared. Hanging back out of sight, he leaned against the stone wall and watched Julie's graceful exit from the carriage. He didn't want her to recognize him, though he doubted she would remember his face. He was no longer in his blue uniform having shed it for his more comfortable civilian clothes. When Lafayette coursed away towards his camp, Jeremy followed and ran to catch up with the long-legged Frenchman.

"General, a pleasant morning you have had so far, I dare say."

Lafayette turned and smiled dryly at his rebel accomplice. "Yes, a bit needless and wasteful I'm afraid. How is your reconnaissance?"

"Not much to show for it so far, sir. All we know is that the threat to Washington's life is real and it seems someone with a grievance against the army or the general has been goaded into acting upon it by British spies here in camp."

"Disconcerting to say the least."

"Yes, sir."

"Has Boggs returned from his foraging mission? He should be assisting you."

"Aye, sir. I spoke with him this morning. He is arranging various tasks that shall take me into different parts of the camp. I shall speak with as many field officers and men as I can. The men are very disgruntled over the short commons. They have gone days without food. That shall surely ferment discontent and possibly mutiny making it unsafe for any officer to wander alone about the encampment."

Lafayette frowned; his young face turned dark and mournful in an instant. Jeremy had only seen that look once before when the general was preparing to surrender. He wasn't sure what to make of it now.

"I know, Jeremy. It is extremely disheartening. More the reason that our fund raising efforts be continued in earnest though our hearts are not in it."

"Of course. I understand, sir. I suppose the effort at entertaining Mrs. Keating is part of that?"

"_Comment?_"

"I-I said the invitation to Mrs. Keating must be part of that effort, sir?"

Lafayette didn't seem to understand, so Jeremy changed the subject. "Might Isak, Henry and I meet with you this evening? We could use your insight into the command structure and your help with identifying Washington's friends and foes."

"Not tonight. I am expected to spend the evening at headquarters. Boggs can assist you. He knows what I know in regards to what you ask."

The general was distracted as his gaze focused down the path. Ephraim Blaine, the deputy commissary general, was loping towards them in a bow-legged gait. The Irishman slowed his pace when he saw Lafayette approaching. Blaine's face scrunched as if he were about to cry. Jeremy glanced up at the general and saw the determined iron look he knew well as being that of anger and uncompromising resolve. He didn't want Lafayette to hold back his abuse on his account so he excused himself and hurried past the trembling commissary.

"Blaine," Lafayette growled in a deep voice, "tell me you have brought beef for my men, or prepare to die!"

The spy chuckled softly at his commander's intimidating words and tone. As he walked past Lafayette's cabin, the door opened and Isak called out to him. "Jeremy, in here."

Jeremy joined Boggs, Henry and Isak in the large almost empty cabin. They had a map of the camp laid out on the field table.

"Have we a clue?" Jeremy asked.

The men looked wearily at the newcomer as if tired of the question.

"We're trying to identify who might be the most unhappy in camp," Henry said, "and it seems to be a tie between the New Englanders and the Pennsylvania Germans."

"Ah, that's just the illicit boxing matches they hold out-of-sight of the officers. The Germans are always pounding those scrawny northern boys, so they get even by stealing their strudel."

"Who has strudel? No one in this camp has any--" Henry asked.

Jeremy grinned with mischief.

Henry frowned at his friend. "I'm going to beat your strudel. Pray, are you here to help or not?" The chemist asked exasperated.

"Of course, but I don't think we shall find this assassin among the soldiers or the officers."

"Why?" Henry asked.

"They all worship Washington. If they didn't they would have deserted before arriving here."

"Deserters are shot," Boggs said. "Wouldn't that be a deterrent to Washington's distracters?"

Jeremy sighed. "Sergeant, I have talked with many soldiers and officers from every state these last two weeks. Without exception, when I question something Washington has done, they impress upon me what a great and noble leader he is, and often a fist follows those sage words to my chin. They may have a gripe about their immediate commanders but they do not countenance complaints about Washington. In my estimation, every officer but His Excellency could be in danger of his life in this camp if conditions don't improve soon."

"I know. It has always been so," Boggs said. "Some of these men may be turncoats though, or planted loyalists pretending to be friends. We have lost quite a few to the British in Philadelphia because they have food, clothing, and pay to offer them and we don't."

Jeremy paced back and forth on the wood plank floor with his fingers planted on his forehead.

"I would think the camp followers might have a few spies and ne'er-do-wells among them," Isak said. "They are a motley low sort."

"Aye, Isak, but even they would have to have a very big reason to want to kill Washington when he and this camp are the source of their current livelihood," Boggs said.

Jeremy stopped pacing and pivoted back towards his friends. "Who do we know that is in close proximity to Washington on a daily basis?"

"His aides and guards," Boggs said.

"His aides and guards are true-blue," Jeremy said. "Who else?"

"The cook is a slave woman he brought from Mt. Vernon," Boggs answered. "Billy, his orderly, also a slave from Mt. Vernon."

"A slave might have reason to kill his master," Isak said, "but those two? I don't think so. They are loyal and content. I've talked with both at length and found them free of any animosity. They live privileged lives."

"Who else serves headquarters?" Jeremy asked.

"From my vantage point at the carriage house," Isak said, "I see all types of people going in. Deliveries, couriers, dignitaries, civilians seeking passes. It's the busiest place in this camp."

"Jeremy, anyone entering that house has been cleared by his aides or Captain Gibbs, the head of his life guard," Boggs said. "He is well protected. They think of every possible avenue of attack."

"Of course," Jeremy said, "but think about it. A man who has passed that inspection, but later something happens that makes him an easy target for the British spies here in camp. It has to be someone that is close enough and inherently invisible to attempt an assassination. The British wouldn't dare try sending in newcomers passing as Patriots again since that failed so miserably last month. We have witnessed the fact that anyone pulling a knife or gun near that house will be shot."

"I think I understand," Henry said. "You mean someone harmless when he obtained the position at headquarters but since that day acquired a grievance with Washington."

"We should make a list of those people seen making regular visits," Jeremy said. "Isak you and Elizabeth are in the best position to do that. You should focus on everyone that can gain entry to the house."

"Aye."

"Here we are trying to protect the man from a killer that may be frequenting the house as an accepted friend and he has to go and invite a complete and total distraction," Boggs exclaimed.

"What is it?" Henry asked.

"The commander has invited some socialite into headquarters for a week. She'll be nothing but a diversion for everyone there. The guards and the aides will have their eyes on her, and not on General Washington's safety."

"So you've heard of her?" Jeremy asked cautiously.

"Aye, Lafayette stopped by to see me before he left camp this morning. I've heard far more than I want to know," Boggs said. "Washington is expecting Lafayette to play escort to her all week when he wants to be here with the men."

"General Lafayette is out there reaming Blaine right now over the lack of beef," Jeremy said with a smile.

Boggs chuckled. "'Tis the commissaries that need to be watching their backs around this camp."

"One was murdered last night," Henry said. "They brought his body to the hospital. He had been stabbed multiple times."

A long silence fell over the cabin. Jeremy could hear Lafayette's deep voice still yelling at the deputy commissary who was whining in reply.

"Henry, maybe we should have you reassigned?" Jeremy asked.

"Nay. The medical corps is where my skills are most needed. I'm afraid I shall be little help on this mission from there, though."

"Aye. Isak and Elizabeth are our eyes and ears right now," Jeremy said. "You however in your current position as pharmacist to headquarters can at least protect him from poison disguised as medicine." Jeremy turned to Isak, "I will not be able to speak with Elizabeth again for a while. Isak, see if you can get a moment with her."

"That should be easy enough if she continues to make regular trips out to the stable to feed General Washington's horses scraps from the kitchen."

Jeremy smiled. "Elizabeth is a friend to animals. I don't think she knows yet the horror of how many of the horses are dying. It would bring her to tears."

* * *

Julie sat at the small dresser near the window and worked at applying her make-up, which she had pulled from a small toiletry bag and arranged before her on the dresser. Elizabeth was sitting on her bed watching. The young farm girl was curious as to what all the little bottles and tins contained. She admired the woman's perfect posture and poise—clearly a graduate of the school of fine feminine graces and talents. She found herself trying to mimic her.

"I didn't expect to see all those good-looking young men downstairs. Are they here every day?" Julie asked.

"Oh yes. All of General Washington's aides are quite handsome, young and dashing in their uniforms."

"How long have you been here, Elizabeth?"

"Almost two weeks. I was stranded due to the storm."

"Oh, of course. We have had a turn at monstrous weather haven't we? Where are you from?" Julie asked.

"Chester County. I'm an orphan. I live with an uncle near Philadelphia. I found myself having to escape from the British soldiery because my Uncle is away on business, so I came here where I knew I could find a safe haven with General Washington."

"Yes. I feel that way towards him too. He is such a gentle but strong man. Just what a girl needs when she has no father." Julie looked over Elizabeth and said, "I suppose you had to leave your clothes behind?"

Elizabeth bowed her head and smoothed a pleat of her blue wool skirt. She didn't own anything like the Polonaise gowns that Julie had unpacked. Her clothes were not the latest fashion but it never seemed to matter before today. Her uncle forbade her wearing makeup. "Aye, there was no time. I barely escaped with my life and my virginity."

Julie laughed gaily. "I can loan you a thing or two. We may need to have them hemmed though. You are nearly a foot shorter than me."

The wealthy woman put her clothes away and arranged her toiletries then she sat down on the bed beside Elizabeth. "Now tell me, what do you think of that handsome young Frenchman, Lafayette? I only met him just last night. He is so very young for a general is he not?"

"Yes, he is young in years but he acts much older. General Washington jokes that he is twenty going on forty."

"A serious one, eh?"

"He has a gravity about him, but he is very charming and laughs when he is amused, unlike General Washington."

"Hmm…." Julie said with raised eyebrows. "Does he stay here?"

"Sometimes when General Washington asks. He is in the small room next door. He says it's just right for him because it's no bigger than his field tent."

"Then he is not like any French marquis I've ever met. They are an arrogant spoilt bunch that would hardly accept a cupboard as appropriate to hold their haughty egos."

Elizabeth laughed. "I think of him as an American because that's the way he lives his life here. He may be only pretending, but I have never seen him behave in anyway arrogant or spoilt."

"A perfect son for serious Mr. Washington."

"They very much seem like father and son to me."

"How does General Washington address the marquis?" Julie asked.

"Ah, well…most of the time he uses his title, marquis, but I just call him General Lafayette. I think he prefers just Lafayette."

"What is his given name? French noblemen have so many names it is very difficult to know what to call them."

Elizabeth laughed at the idea of a man with too many names. "It is Gilbert. Now don't ask me his horse's name," she said with a giggle, "I have no idea."

"Jheel-bare," Julie said practicing the French pronunciation. "What a noble name. Do you know his favorite food?"

"Whose?" Elizabeth asked.

Julie snickered. "Gilbert's, of course."

"Oh. No, I can't say that I do. He eats whatever is put in front of him and rarely comments on it."

"My goodness, how democratic. He has really taken to this whole brave new world of equality hasn't he?"

Elizabeth started to speak but decided it would be best to hold her tongue and show no interest in politics or the war. "I couldn't say, ma'am."

"Oh, please, Elizabeth, do call me Julie. I'm only ten years older than you. Consider me your big sister. I have always wanted a sister."

"Of course."

The socialite arose with a quick jump and skipped to the window. Elizabeth joined her. They watched the bustle outside headquarters through the small panes for a long while. There were hurried riders, officers coming and going with orders in their hands. The guards marched back and forth ever watchful of all the activity.

Julie unlocked the window and pushed the cumbersome sash up. The noises of the camp filled the room along with the frigid air. A sergeant of the guard was bellowing orders. The small banter of the aides below drifted up to them along with the sounds of horses, carriages and wagons. "This is almost like being in Philadelphia on market day," Julie said. "I so loved the city."

"You lived there?"

Julie sighed. "Yes, but no more. My husband brought me out here at the start of winter."

Elizabeth saw Tench Tilghman trudging towards headquarters. He looked up puzzled and then smiled. "Ladies, a nice day isn't it?" he asked, tipping his hat.

"Oh yes, Colonel Tilghman," Elizabeth said. "'Tis so nice to have a blue sky and sun for a change. You can even hear birds if you stop to listen."

Tilghman stopped. He looked up and smiled. "I do believe you are right, Miss Coates." He entered headquarters.

Some riders cantered up. Elizabeth recognized them. "That's General's Greene and Wayne."

"Yes, I know. It's getting chilly." Julie shut the window and stepped to the fire. "I think I would like to take a quick nap before dinner. I'm afraid the festivities last night left me quite fatigued."

"That's a good idea. I have things to do downstairs. Would you like me to call you when dinner is ready?"

"Yes, please."

Elizabeth left the bedroom. She shut the door behind her. A sigh of relief escaped her throat. She hoped the precious lady didn't hear it. The door didn't squeak. She hurried downstairs and out to the kitchen amid a swarm of young officers milling about waiting to see General Washington. She wanted to take Isak some food and she wanted to find out what was being done about the threat to the commander's life.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Elizabeth found the big doors to the carriage house open. The pungent barn smells filled her nostrils reminding her of home. The building housed General Washington's carriage and horses. The horses whinnied to acknowledge her entry. She walked to their stalls and patted each on the nose. "Hello, Nelson. Hello to you, too, Blueskin.

"Elizabeth, how nice of you to come for a visit," Isak said behind her.

She turned to find tall Isak wiping his large hands off with a cloth. Black soot covered his leather workman's apron.

"You've either been blacksmithing or cleaning a chimney," Elizabeth said.

"Aye. I have to earn my keep here."

"I brought you some food." Elizabeth removed the cloth cover from the basket she carried. "'Tis cold fried chicken, and johnny cakes. Hannah likes you."

Isak shook his head. "My goodness. This makes me feel guilty as a fat pet pig watching his brother butchered. Jeremy hasn't had anything so nice if he's had anything at all."

The tall black man sat down on a bench and began to devour the food.

Elizabeth turned to the gray in his stall that was nuzzling her back. "Did you fix the squeak on my door this morning?"

"Aye. General Lafayette asked me to when he came for the carriage. I didn't disturb you did I?"

Elizabeth was relieved. She turned to look at Isak. "Nay. It just suddenly concerned me that someone came upstairs so easily. I should have known Lafayette would only send a trusted friend into the house."

Isak smiled. "Funny you should mention that. Jeremy wants you and I to keep track of who enters the house. He believes our assassin is someone who has easy access to Washington and can come and go unnoticed."

"Oh my, that will be quite a chore. Many people come and go all day."

"Aye. I know. We are to focus on those who are non-military."

"I see. Like the cook, Hannah? or Billy?"

"Aye, but who else pays regular visits into Washington's office and bedchamber?"

"His trusted aides have complete freedom to come and go from his presence with a simple knock on the door."

"The assassin will not be among them."

"There are a couple of odd people that empty the rubbish from all the rooms every night and burn it. They also take the ashes from the fireplaces. They haul the ashes off to the village to make soap, which they sell back to the army for use at headquarters. 'Tis an older man and his demented son. I don't know the man's name. He is a big ugly brute that never smiles."

"A good observation. How old is the son?"

"He looks to be in his thirties. He has the mind of a child, though."

"Who else have you seen?"

"There are regular deliveries to the kitchen, like the baker and the butcher. Sometimes the butcher, a Mr. Hanson, will come into Washington's office to speak to him about what cuts he wants. I have never seen the baker in the house. The butcher is rather arrogant and rude in manner."

"A butcher would be handy with a knife."

Elizabeth grimaced. "Oh Isak. How gruesome."

The black man raised his brows. "We have to consider that possibility."

Elizabeth continued, "There's a man that brings the wood for the fireplaces and the kitchen every day at regular times. He cuts the trees and hauls the wood to headquarters. He has a kindly face. I know he's paid because I have seen the cook give him money. She calls him Kendall."

"A local man?"

"I don't know. There is a new housekeeper Mary that I saw at breakfast this morning. She is taking over for me, but she will stay at the farmhouse down the road."

"I would think her too new to headquarters to be plotting a murder."

"True, but the farm is right there." Elizabeth laughed. "How awful! I am suspecting that kindly Dewees family that lives there and the Potts widow that rented the house to Washington! A laundress comes daily. Her name is Mrs. White. She has regular access to replace the bedclothes. The aides use her services as well as General Washington."

Elizabeth jumped at the sound of a scuffle. Before she could hide in a stall, a long shadow fell across the dirt floor…then the familiar tousled blonde hair she knew well appeared.

"What is this?" Jeremy asked.

Elizabeth sighed with relief. "What is what Jeremy?" she asked.

"Isak, where did you get that chicken?" he said with an accusatory look.

Isak wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "From the kitchen."

Jeremy narrowed his eyes at Elizabeth and scowled. "You better be careful young lady, some hungry private will tackle you in the mud and still your little basket."

"What's the matter, Jeremy?" Elizabeth asked. "Are the camp rations inadequate?"

"I say. The men are eating bark and a few even tried boiling stones."

"Surely they are being facetious with their boiling stones," Elizabeth said.

"Aye, perhaps."

"Here have a chicken leg," Isak said.

Jeremy grabbed the offered morsel and devoured it in two seconds. Before his last swallow, he asked, "Have you told Elizabeth of our plan?"

"Plan? She has already provided the information."

Jeremy's eyebrows rose.

"We have a baker, a butcher, a laundress, a rubbish man and a woodsman," Isak itemized.

"Oh, and there is the barber," Elizabeth said. "The man comes regularly to tend to General Washington's hair. The general is very fastidious about his appearance. I can't say if the barber is local or a camp follower."

Jeremy rubbed his hands together and began to pace in front of the horses. "Which one has a reason to kill Washington?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Not one of them appears to have a care in the world when I see them. They do their job quietly, never speak and leave quietly. You hardly know they are there or have ever been there."

"Precisely!" Jeremy said with a quick turn, and a raised slender index finger.

"Precisely what, man?" Isak said with exasperation.

The young leader sighed and rolled his eyes. He thrust his hands sulkily into his coat pockets and stared through narrowed green eyes at his friends. "These people have access to the general's person and yet go unnoticed."

"But what motive?" Isak asked.

Jeremy rubbed his chin, which needed a shave. "That I don't know, but we will find out." The young man's face opened into a large toothy grin. "Elizabeth, what do you think of Julie Keating? Have they made you her handmaiden?"

"She's my new roommate."

Jeremy's eyes widened. "What?"

"General Washington asked that I stay with her in the upstairs guest room. He has changed my cover, with General Lafayette's permission, as a friend of the family instead of a maid."

The young rebel's brows dipped in a frown. "That's interesting. So what do you think of her so far?"

"I think she's a typical spoilt rich wife. You should have seen the fallals and furbelows she unpacked from her trunks. All I could think of was the poor soldiers walking around half naked in the cold."

"So you don't like her?"

"I didn't say that. She seemed friendly enough and all agog about her visit--especially the presence of General Lafayette."

"Ah, of course. She was quite captivated by that charismatic Frenchman last night."

"She asked me endless trivial questions about him I didn't feel comfortable answering."

"Really. Like what?"

"Like what name does he prefer? What's his favorite food? Where does he sleep?"

Jeremy laughed. "She's just infatuated with him, Elizabeth. I can't say that I blame her. You know how all of us felt when we first met him. I still don't know what name he prefers, but I'm certain it isn't Frenchie."

The young people laughed together.

"Aye, of course," Elizabeth said. "She just seems too aggressive towards him. I suppose it is just my overactive imagination."

"I'm sure he can handle her," Jeremy said with a chuckle and a wink at Isak.

"Yes, but does he really want to be dealing with such a woman day and night at headquarters? I think not."

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't think he wanted anything to do with her. He tried to persuade Washington to have Tench Tilghman be her escort."

"He's just concerned for his men and believes his place is with them right now."

"You think so?"

"Aye. That's what troubles him, Elizabeth. I saw it myself after he returned this morning. He was very distracted over their lack of food. He nearly decapitated the deputy commissary general."

"He wouldn't do any such thing," Elizabeth said with a pout.

"Of course not," Jeremy said with a snicker. "You better get back to the house before someone misses you."

* * *

Jeremy and Isak walked to Lafayette's cabin to meet Sergeant Boggs. They found the seasoned frontiersman shuffling through a pile of paper. Papers lay haphazard all over the camp table and the floor. The aide-de-camp looked agitated out of his normal calm demeanor. His sleeves were rolled-up exposing his muscular arms. His usually tidy hair was loose from its ribbon as evidenced by the sandy locks that fell about his face.

"That's not normally your job is it, Daniel?" Jeremy asked trying to keep the smirk from his face.

"Nay, but someone has to do it and General Washington has seen fit to take the man away from it that should be doing it. Lafayette's aides are all sick and incapacitated. General Greene marched in here looking for the general, mad as the deuce, because he hadn't finished these rosters. How the hell are we to know who was here a month ago when no one even had a place to piss?"

The young rebels laughed. "My advice is to make it up," Jeremy said. "I don't think you should be missing the rare blue sky and sunshine we are enjoying today."

"Aye. 'Twill be a work of fiction, but I cannot have General Lafayette accused of making dead men chew tobacco. So, why do I have the pleasure of your visitation?"

"We just met with Elizabeth. She gave us a list of people. Now we need a motive."

"Who do you have?"

Jeremy related the conversation with Elizabeth.

Boggs listened patiently, but after Jeremy finished, he bellowed, "And this is suppose to be a lead? Those people are harmless locals. They are paid by General Washington to do their job. Why would they cut off that money supply?"

"Sergeant, I know it seems unlikely, but that is exactly what makes them the perfect suspects. Now let's think about what has happened in camp or on the way here that could be considered a 'grievous crime' by someone."

"Marching here in the snow with no shoes was a grievous crime," Boggs said.

"All right, what else?"

"No food for days on end—a grievous crime."

"That's a good one I can vouch for, but I fear if you continue we will have to hold you as a suspect." Jeremy said.

The sergeant looked askance at the young rebel. "I never said I thought it was Washington's fault."

"Nay, of course not." Jeremy decided he best not tease the overworked non-commissioned man any further.

"How about punishments?" Isak said. "I've seen men whipped in front of headquarters at the notice board."

"Aye. 'Tis routine. Men misbehave."

"Any particular noteworthy whipping, hanging or execution by shooting?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, there were the three deserters from Wayne's camp," Boggs said.

"What happened to them?"

"Shot in the head on the parade ground with all the brigades called out to see."

"Ouch," Isak said.

"There was also a small mutiny of sorts—from Wayne's camp."

"What happen to them?" Jeremy asked.

"Hung on the parade ground before the camp. There were ten of them. They killed an unpopular officer by beating him to death."

"Ouch again," Isak said with a grimace.

The sergeant exhaled deeply and crossed his brawny arms. "I fail to see the connection between these events and those suspects of yours."

"Aye," Jeremy said with a scowl. "I thought you might say that. We need to talk to those people, one at a time."

"Interrogate the laundress?" Boggs asked with disbelief.

"Yes," Jeremy whined. "Will you make the arrangements or should I?"

Boggs rolled his eyes. "Captain, the minute you do that, knowledge of your activity will spread all over camp like lice. The servants are the camp newspaper."

"We shall take care of course. I can use some pretense of interviewing servants for some new non-existent officer."

"You are supposed to be on Sullivan's bridge-building detail."

"No one ever shows up for that," Jeremy complained. "We should be fed before we are asked to work."

Boggs chuckled. "I do believe you are starting to learn the art of soldiering. Lafayette would agree with you. All right, if you at least make an effort at some work detail this afternoon to justify your presence, I will talk to Captain Gibbs about interviewing the servants. He oversees and pays them."

"Can we also bother you to obtain the names of the men who were shot for desertion and hung for mutiny?" Jeremy asked timidly.

The sergeant sighed. "General Wayne should know, or one of his aides. I will get the information for you."

"Thank you, Sergeant. You're a good man."

Boggs glared at the young captain.

* * *

Elizabeth returned to headquarters and found Julie awake and refreshed. She was brushing her long thick hair. It fell about her slender shoulders in waves and shone like silk in the sunlight streaming through the window. As she brushed, she kept an eye on the yard below.

"Elizabeth, how old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"I remember being seventeen. I was at school in London at that age. I thought I had the perfect life—a doting father, money, friends and nothing but bright promise in my future. I lived in the most beautiful townhouse that sat on a square park bounded by brick streets. I can still hear the sound of the buggies and the horses trotting by on the bricks and smell the fragrant roses and rosemary in the park. The house belonged to my lovely dear rosy-cheeked English aunt who took care of me. How I miss those days, and her scrumptious madeleine tea cakes."

"It sounds wonderful."

"Have you not thought of marriage yet?" Julie asked.

"Oh yes. I think of it, but I think it must wait until after this war."

"Really?" Julie asked pinning a perplexed look upon her. "I dare say you must have a beau. You are a very pretty girl."

"Thank you, Julie. I do have a young man who calls me friend."

"Oh, a non-committed boy is he?"

"He is just occupied with the war."

"A soldier then? An officer?" Julie asked enthusiastically.

"Yes to both."

"How romantic. I envy you. Is he here in camp?"

"Aye, but he can't come around here much."

"Of course. I imagine you have sneaked off for a tryst from time to time though, no?"

"Yes. The generals tease me about him."

"Do you think of General Lafayette as a brother?"

The question surprised Elizabeth. "He is very protective of me. In fact, I think he has made the effort especially for me. Though, I cannot honestly say what it might be like to have a brother."

"I think General Washington wishes me to think of the marquis as a brother, but I am having great difficulty with that," Julie said as she began to twist her long hair up on her head and trap it there with a jewel-encrusted comb.

"Why? He is so kind."

"I know, but it is not his kindness but his appealing good-looks that is interfering with my better sisterly inclinations."

"Oh, I see."

"Elizabeth, really, don't try to tell me you haven't noticed more than his kindness?"

"Well, I suppose 'tis rather obvious. I have seen other women quite taken with him, though I have never seen him behave as anything but a gentleman. He is very gallant and noble with the finest manners I have ever seen."

Julie finished her grooming and paused to look at herself in the small dresser mirror. "Well, I suppose that would be expected." She sighed and looked out the window dreamily. Her hand went to her throat where she fingered a golden bejeweled locket. "My goodness. The very thought of him makes the blood hot in my veins."

Elizabeth flushed with embarrassment. Julie saw it in the mirror.

"Forgive me, Elizabeth. I would think at seventeen you would know what it was like to take a roll with a young man in the hay and maybe feel desires where you had none at twelve."

"Yes of course, but General Lafayette is a married man."

Julie's eyebrows rose. "He is married to a mere girl no older than you. Do you honestly believe French noblemen marry for any other reason than the accumulation of wealth? Come now, I didn't think you were that naive."

Elizabeth tensed at Julie's tone. "I believe dinner is about ready."

Julie tittered. "Of course. I must make an appearance. General Washington will think me a lazy hostess." Julie arose and straightened her fine satin gown and five petticoats.

She followed Elizabeth downstairs where they found the front room empty but for the rubbish man sweeping the ashes from the fireplace. As Julie stopped to look at herself again in a mirror in the hall, Elizabeth watched the laborer. Fear flooded her mind; she understood in that moment Jeremy's suspicions. The brawny unkempt man bent over the hearth turned his head and pinned an evil scowl upon her--she felt it was with purpose. His idiot son at his side flashed a dimwitted grin. Elizabeth shivered. She followed Julie as she entered Washington's office with her skirts rustling.

"General Washington, where did all those handsome men go that we saw entering this place this morning," Julie said. "Have you hidden them somewhere?"

Washington laughed as he arose to greet the young women. "I banished them from the house so that you might have some peace. I'm sure you were quite fatigued with the early hour that the marquis chose to retrieve you."

"Yes, but I am now refreshed. Thank you so much for sending that charming handsome young nobleman to accompany me. That was so thoughtful of you. I've been enjoying Elizabeth's company upstairs--girl talk. I've missed that so much from my school-days in London."

"Wonderful, my dear."

Elizabeth didn't think it was so wonderful.

"It is a joy to see women in this cold dreary place," the general said while approaching Julie, "to hear the light step, the soft feminine voice and the swish of petticoats. I'm sure you both find that quite silly of me, but I can't tell you what a difference it makes."

Washington gently took Julie by her arms and pulled her into an embrace, kissing her forehead. "I am pleased that you are here my dear. I grow tired of the company of men."

"Oh, Uncle George, you always were a sap for a pretty girl," Julie teased.

"Indeed!" the commander said with a mock frown.

"Where has that son of yours got off to?" Julie asked.

"If you are referring to Jackie, I haven't a clue. He cannot decide what he wants to do with his life. If, however, you refer to the marquis, I believe he is tending to his men and seeing to a little paperwork. General Greene expressed some disgust that he was being kept from his obligations."

"Oh. I hope General Greene is not angry with me or my presence here," Julie said. "I don't want to get dear General Lafayette into trouble on my first day as hostess."

"Don't bother yourself about that. General Greene is just a bit hardheaded and cranky of a morning. Please have a seat at my table here and I will call for dinner. I was hoping the marquis would join us, but Greene may have found him."

"Oh, sir, please let me speak with the cook and see that dinner is prepared and served immediately," Julie said. "You must let me take on the role of hostess for you. It is a woman's job after all."

General Washington straightened and frowned a bit. "Very well. Elizabeth can show you to the kitchen. You will need your cloak. It is quite cold and windy in the breezeway. Please be careful of your health while you are here."

When Elizabeth opened the door to the warm aromatic kitchen, she found Hannah and Billy. Hannah was ladling soup into a large ceramic bowl. Billy was working a cork from a wine bottle. They both looked up surprised.

"Hannah, Billy, this is Mrs. Keating," Elizabeth said. "She will be visiting awhile and acting as hostess for General Washington."

"Good day to you, misses," Hannah said with a curtsey. The cook's cold glance toward Elizabeth made her feel awful for having spent time with her and then seemingly changed class overnight.

"Is the general's dinner ready to be served?" Julie asked in a haughty tone.

"Yes, ma'am. I is just fillin' the servin' dishes. Billy will carry it in."

Julie stepped to the kitchen table. She jerked off the top of a large silver platter and sniffed. "This fish requires some top of garnish. It is quite detestable and unappetizing. Have you no parsley?"

"Ah….there may be some dried in the cellar, ma'am. I'm not sure."

"You need to be sure. You will not present bland dishes in this manner."

Hannah curtsied and looked imploringly at Billy.

"I will go at once and see what I can find in the cellar," Billy said.

"Oh never mind," Julie said with disgust. "We mustn't keep the general waiting for his dinner. Just remember from now on."

Julie peered at the soup and put her hand to her face as if she was looking into a chamber pot. "My goodness you are serving everything the same dull color. General Washington must have fresh vegetables. At least put some chives in this."

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Hannah said, "but there is no fresh vegetables. All we has is preserved beets, turnips, beans, and a bit of cabbage, which I has saved for the corned beef dish he likes."

"I see. I should have thought to bring some provisions from the estate. I will send for those tomorrow."

"That would be very kind of you, ma'am," Hannah said. "I'm sure the general and his guests will like that."

Julie sighed loudly and folded her arms. "I can see I have a lot of work to do to make this place minimally acceptable for the general and his guests. I've arrived just in time to save this household. Come. Serve the meal before it gets cold." Julie turned abruptly and marched out.

Hannah and Billy fell to loading two service trays. Billy took the heavier one and Hannah followed with the other. They carried the food into the dining room and skillfully placed the trays on portable canvas waiters adjacent to the table. General Washington assisted the ladies with their chairs as Billy placed the contents of the meal.

The black servants soon left, shutting the door behind them.

"General," Julie said, "I must insist that vegetables and fresh beef be retrieved from my estate for your use here at headquarters. I did not realize you were suffering as much as your men."

Washington tasted the soup and smiled.

Elizabeth took a sip of the soup and thought it quite good, though it was only Irish potato soup. It was seasoned though and could hardly be considered as bland as Julie claimed.

"That isn't necessary on my behalf, Julie," the general said. "I prefer to let my guests feel a little of the 'suffering' of my men. It tends to raise their interest in assisting us in our time of need."

"Oh my dear Uncle George," Julie whined, "I'm sure General Lafayette is accustomed to a more palatable fair."

Washington raised his brow--his soupspoon froze in mid-air. He smiled stiff-lipped and chuckled. "Well, General Lafayette would be the first to have us dining on 'filet de feline' as a show of solidarity with the men. Though he would have it swimming in some French cream sauce."

"Surely, you jest, sir?" Elizabeth said. She couldn't believe Lafayette would ever consider eating someone's pet cat.

"You will never hear Lafayette complain of the food put before him," the general said. "At least, I never have. He is more apt to marvel at the occasional oddity—like yams." Washington chuckled as if remembering such a moment.

"I wasn't thinking of anything extravagant, General," Julie said, "only something to brighten the mood and improve the digestion. You must consider your health."

The commander put down his spoon, reached across, and squeezed Julie's small white hand. "I understand your concern, my dear. It is no different than I would hear from my own Patsy. This must seem quite dreary and monastic to you. Please, feel free to alter the menu and retrieve whatever supplies you need. You may prepare a list and give it to Colonel Hamilton and it shall be done. I will introduce you to my closest aides in the morning so that they understand that they are to obey you as if you were the mistress of this house."

Julie smiled radiantly, pleased with her placement at the head of the household. Elizabeth felt uneasy with the arrangement. What mischief and trouble could this bossy woman wrought upon this happy household?

After dinner, Billy quietly served coffee. The woodsman entered and replenished the fireplace. General Washington paced the floor and looked out the window from time to time.

"Are you expecting someone, General?" Julie asked.

"Only the marquis. I am very surprised at his absence since he promised to be here. I am sorry, Julie, I'm sure you are disappointed to be spending the afternoon with me."

"Oh, no sir, of course not. I have to admit I would enjoy the young Frenchman's company, as any woman would. He was most kind in the carriage ride here--tolerating all my silly questions with such gallantry. He is a very charming young man."

Washington turned and smiled. "Still, he promised he would be here."

An hour later, as General Washington returned to his papers at his desk and the two young ladies busied themselves with reading and needlepoint, Lafayette finally opened the door and stuck his head in. "I think I owe everyone an apology for my tardiness. I trust dinner went well without me?"

Washington turned and glowered with heavy eyelids at the young man, but said nothing.

"We had a lovely time," Julie said, "though I believe I can improve a little on the dinners while I am here when I retrieve some things from my kitchen."

"I'm sure that will be nice," Lafayette said.

"Marquis, please come in and stay awhile," Washington said. "Surely the camp can continue without you for an hour or so."

"Of course, sir." Lafayette entered and walked to the fireplace.

"Are your men doing well?" Julie asked.

"Ah…other than not being fed or clothed?"

"I don't think Julie or Elizabeth should be troubled with the camps affairs," Washington said firmly.

"Of course not, _mon Général_. Ladies, _excusez-moi_."

An awkward silence floated like ice on the surface of the room's still air. Elizabeth surmised General Washington was unhappy with his subordinate and apparently wasn't quick at forgiving small infractions. She felt the need to leave them free to talk. "Julie, would you like to walk down to the Dewees farm and visit with the ladies and children there for a little while? They are Quakers--very friendly. I find them quite charming. They might have the parsley and chives you are looking for as well."

Julie looked surprised at Elizabeth than back to the generals, then back to Elizabeth as if trying to decide. "Why yes, I think that would be apropos, seeing that I shall be acting as hostess here. It would be good to put in an appearance with the neighbors."

The two ladies arose and curtsied. "May we have your leave, General Washington?" Julie asked.

"Of course," Washington said. He arose from his desk and watched them leave.

* * *

After Elizabeth and Julie left, General Washington turned abruptly to Lafayette and growled, "Marquis, what in blazes kept you away from a dinner you promised to attend?"

"I came upon Ephraim Blaine and we had a lengthy discussion. Then I found my one and only healthy aide covered up with my paperwork because General Greene had demanded an accounting of the men. I tried to help, sir. I lost track of the time. I am truly sorry."

Washington breathed an exasperated sigh. "I am only asking for a week of your time. It would seem that you could put this camp out of your mind for that period. Do you not understand why this is important to me?"

Lafayette panicked at his commander's continued stern posture and words. "Perchance I don't understand my dearest commander and friend. It saddens me that I have disappointed you. Please pardon my thick head."

"I am responsible for Julie's life, for her well-being. She is very wealthy. The wealthiest woman in America and I hold the strings to the purse she is inheriting. I feel unequal to the task. I had considered turning it over to Rutherford, but now, after seeing him last night, I fear that it would be the wrong thing to do to her. She is likely to be wearing a black bonnet soon." Washington drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I must make a decision regarding the disposition of the remainder of her wealth and I find that I hardly know her." He looked off towards the window and chuckled under his breath as if remembering some past meeting with Julie. "She was born to an independence not unlike a filly bound for the racetrack. She was but a girl of eighteen when she returned from London and I rushed her before an alter with a man she didn't know--"

"Sir, I understand your concern for her under the circumstances, but in what way can I help you?" Lafayette asked.

"You have a way of bringing me out of my doleful moods. I thought you could do the same for her," Washington said with a smile. "She is wrapped in the cloak of an obstinate selfishness. I think she would come out of her dreary contriteness if she had a bit of time to converse with a bright interesting young man like you. She has a superior education, Marquis. She loves to talk of art, books, and Europe. I'm sure she is missing that having been removed from Philadelphia to this cold wilderness. She grew fond of Europe and has a childish memory of it."

"I would be happy to converse with her, your Excellency, but must it be for days at a time? Will not a few hours in mixed company be appropriate and serve your purpose?"

"Perhaps, but I _must_ have you do what you say you are going to do," Washington said forcefully.

"Yes, sir, of course, your Excellency. I was amiss. It was very thoughtless of me. I hope you will forgive me."

"Yes, yes, of course. I'm just beset with people who don't do what they say. That Blaine is the worst offender of all. He has been promising a shipment of flour and beef going on two weeks now and has yet to produce. He makes unending excuses."

"I know, sir. He is giving me daily new excuses for the lack of meat in camp. I dare say if we compared notes we would find that he is guilty of a clever dodge."

Washington sat down in his desk chair and leaned back causing the old borrowed chair to squeak mournfully. Lafayette could see the exhaustion in his commander's eyes, the weary droop of his shoulders that he took care to avoid in anyone else's presence. He wanted so much to be what this man wanted him to be and now he had disappointed him in the span of just half a day. What if Mrs. Keating finds that she detests the infamous Marquis de Lafayette? What if she finds him an impossibly aloof bore like the court crowd back at Versailles? He trembled at the thought of just how much he might yet disappoint his adopted father.

"Marquis, you may return to your duties if you wish. General Greene has a legitimate claim on your time. I only ask that you return by supper tonight. Is that fair?"

"That is more than fair, sir."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The weather turned gray and morose at the end of a long day for Jeremy--the private in disguise. The ragged flags and the remaining canvas tents flapped and fluttered in the wind. Ominous black clouds surged in the north forewarning of another storm. Soldiers stuffed moss into the cracks of their leaky huts and repaired the logs loosened by the freeze and thaw. The constant rhythmic 'chuck chuck chuck' of axes and ground-shaking 'thunks' of trees falling to earth serenaded the camp all day. The sun appeared and warmed the snow to create a black muck that was unavoidable as the logs were dragged through the company streets to their destinations. The mud covered everything and everyone by the end of the day but it would soon freeze again. There had been no food that day, except for the ever-present fire cakes, which were thin spatterings of flour and water thrown on a hot rock.

Jeremy ate the tasteless cakes uncomplaining along with his messmates outside sitting at a fire. He wrapped himself in a blanket to ward off the blistering wind. He had gone out with a work detail to chop and haul logs and his body ached with the unfamiliar exertion. His hands were raw and blistered. Sergeant McDonald sat beside him coughing. He had coughed all night and day, but refused to go to the hospital that he claimed would kill a healthy man. Jeremy didn't know the other men. They were Wayne's aides and they had little to say. General Wayne was staying in a house near camp and not with his men. Jeremy wondered why the Chester County native didn't stay at his own home with his wife and family, which was very nearby, but he was afraid to ask.

The spy was homesick for the color of Chester --the women's clothes, the painted houses, the flags on the ship's in the harbor. Valley Forge was a colorless landscape of white and gray, even the regimental flags were faded. The only relief was the infrequent sighting of the bright red lining of a subaltern's cloak. It came to be associated with two things: food and mail. The men went mad over both which provided the occasional break in what was otherwise perpetual inactivity that dulled the mind like some noxious decoction of Henry's.

In his solitude and pain, Jeremy's mind turned to dark thoughts. He worried about the villain that was plotting Washington's demise. Who was he? Where was he? He worried about Elizabeth being at headquarters knowing that a servant could be the assassin. She was probably scared and he stupidly neglected to realize that possibility. There was dear Henry slaving in the hospital trying to save one last man, or one last limb, or comforting some poor boy sick with dysentery or small pox. Even his commander, Lafayette, didn't escape his worry. This camp could turn deadly for all of the officers. It was a powder keg ready to blow.

An angry cry jarred Jeremy out of his private torment.

"You sorry excuse for a man! You filched my goose I trapped at the creek."

"I say, my good fellow, have a care with your tone. You relieved a farmer of that goose without his leave. I was witness to the deed. What business do you have a-cryin' thief?"

"Beggin' your pardon, but 'twas a Pennsylvania goose, which I, being a true-blooded Pennsylvanian with land purchased by my grandsire from Mr. Penn hisself--have every right to! Where be it?"

"In my belly at the moment!" Laughter erupted.

"Beggin' your pardon again, mister mosquito-bitten cracker, lest you misunderstand my meaning, listen closely--I shall cut you from navel to fundament and give it liberty!" The man leapt up with a knife in his hand clearly intending to make good on his threat. The other man arose just as quick with an iron poker and fended off the first wild slice of the knife. Soldiers scrambled to get out of the way of the two combatants.

The knife wielder yelled, "Are you Pennsylvanians going to stand by and let these southern swine take what is ours?"

His would-be victim, brandishing the poker like a sword, yelled back, "You peevish caviling varlet! The farmers around here should be feedin' you and instead they are hidin' all of their stock and wagons a-feared of their own militiamen."

"That's a thunderin' lie! You and your kind are nothin' but tarnal liars."

"Then you are callin' General Washington a liar, too. He is a tall proud southern Virginian!" another man yelled.

"Ye are not cut of the same plaid as his Excellency!" a Scottish voice warned. "Ye smear his name with yeer bragging."

Jeremy started to arise, but McDonald grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. "Don't ye be a put, lad. 'Tain't your fight. Those men will kill for sport."

"We can't just sit here and let them kill each other," Jeremy said. He looked imploringly at the other men whose hard faces were dark in the waning sunlight but for the fire flickering in their hungry eyes. They evidently regretted their association with those men and refused to claim them. The fight quickly grew in ferocity. Horses' hooves broke upon the desperate scene. Jeremy looked up at two horsemen silhouetted against the setting sun.

A deep voice commanded, "You men, stand and hold your place!" It was General Lafayette. Sergeant Boggs was at his side.

All the men stared drop-jawed at the young general. They obeyed as if desperate for leadership. Lafayette kicked his horse; the animal lunged towards the man with the knife. "Put your weapon away soldier or face fifty lashes in the morning."

The man obeyed. He pointed to the other man. "He stole from me, sir. I was only tryin' to take back what was mine."

"He was threatenin' to gut me with that knife, sir," the Virginian complained.

The sergeant yelled, "Both of you, hinge your jaws, you worthless--"

The general held his hand up and stopped his subordinate's angry words. "Take your complaints before your company commanders," Lafayette said.

Both soldiers chuckled. The Pennsylvanian said, "Our company commanders don't see fit to be bothered with us. They're sitting right over there." He pointed towards Jeremy's group.

Lafayette dismounted stiffly and reeled upon the group of officers. "Which one of you is leader of this company?" His dark eyes flashed with anger.

"Aye, sir, that would be me, Captain Slake of the Pennsylvania First," a hefty man said raising his hand without looking up.

"What is your reason for allowing these men to slay themselves over petty differences?"

"What good can I do, sir? They steal food from farmers and then fight over the booty. There is no food to settle their differences. No one bothered to bring us any today."

"Everyone is suffering the same, Captain. It is not an excuse for you to shirk your duty as commander. The men require leadership. They deserve leadership."

Captain Slake said nothing. He stared into the fire without emotion for a long moment then he looked up with his mouth set in a jagged grimace. "Sir, I don't mean to be grousing, but it seems like ever since you took on those Virginians there's been bad blood betwixt us and them. The men feel slighted by your leaving us behind."

Lafayette looked surprised at Slake's revelation. "General Wayne is your commander. He is a Pennsylvanian just like you and the rest of these men. I thought you adored him and would follow him anywhere even through these difficult times."

"Aye sir, we do care for Wayne as you say, but he ain't here. He's abandoned us for a warm farm house and probably a warm wench to boot. We see you and what you do for those _special_ Virginians over there and it just goes down hard, that's all."

"I didn't realize the men felt that way. It wasn't my intention," Lafayette said.

"I know that, sir," Slake grumbled.

"I would feed you all if my money could buy anything. We cannot get the supplies here. Washington, I and all the generals are trying to overcome these problems."

"Yes, sir. Most of us officers know 'tis Congress, and the quartermasters, and the locals that are letting us down. Hate of the Pennsylvanians is running high because the farmers around camp are hiding everything they have from our foraging parties."

"I appreciate your honest appraisal and information, Captain. However, I would like you to lead your men and keep them from killing each other. We can ill afford to lose any one of these soldiers. They are not going to be replaced in the spring."

"Aye, sir. I will do my best." The captain arose, stood at attention and saluted the general, who returned the salute.

Sergeant McDonald launched into a coughing fit that sounded like his lungs were disengaging from his chest.

"Sergeant McDonald?" Lafayette asked. "Do you require medical attention?"

"No, sir," McDonald wretched out. "I think I'll take me chances without it, sir. It be only a catarrh."

Lafayette sighed and looked at Sergeant Boggs who shook his head in frustration. The general caught Jeremy's eye as if surprised to see him. His fierce stare made the young rebel squirm. The spy thought he was about to be yelled at, too, but the Frenchman just turned around and lifted himself into his saddle then grimaced and grabbed his leg for a moment. Jeremy knew it was his Brandywine wound. The general must have been on his horse for a long while.

"I must return to headquarters for the evening Boggs, can you see what you can do for these men? I will talk to General Wayne in the morning."

"Aye, sir. You mustn't worry about it, sir. You are taking on too much. This is Wayne's problem."

"It is all of our problems, Boggs! I have seen your reports. I know men are dropping dead every night of illness and hunger. I can not turn a blind eye to that whether they are Pennsylvanians or Virginians."

"I only mean that you can not fix the problem by yourself, sir. No one expects that of you."

"I will try to return early in the morning to help with the paperwork." The general started to ride away into the dark but reined his horse and twisted in his saddle. "Daniel, thank you for what you are doing. I don't mean to imply in anyway that you are not doing enough. You are a godsend to me. Please take care of yourself. Get your rest."

"Aye, sir." Boggs urged his horse towards his commander. They spoke at length out of earshot of Jeremy. He strained to hear them, but the wind was not in his favor.

After Lafayette left, Sergeant Boggs returned to the general's unused cabin. Jeremy arose and followed him there. He knocked on the cabin door. "It's me Jeremy. May I come in?"

"Of course," the sergeant answered in a tired voice.

Boggs was sitting at the table sorting through papers.

"Still at those rosters?" Jeremy asked.

"Aye." The sergeant chuckled and rubbed his hands to warm them. "My only qualifications for this are that I can read and write."

"May I help you?" Jeremy asked.

"No, Jeremy. You better stick to what you do best."

"I don't feel like I'm much use right now."

"I don't have the information I promised you yet. It's been rather a hectic day."

"Of course. I wasn't expecting you to have it that quick."

The sergeant stared unblinking for a long moment causing Jeremy to avert his eyes. "Are you feeling overwhelmed, son?"

Jeremy hesitated to answer. He didn't want to admit defeat and be sent home, but his head was spinning from lack of food and the ever present depressing conditions of the camp. Fatigue made him want to curl up somewhere out of sight and sleep for three days. "I suppose. Is it that obvious?"

"Aye. You have that lost vacant look about your eyes. I know it well. 'Tis a camp ailment. The general saw it too outside. Sit down lad before you fall down."

Jeremy plopped down on his back on the nearby cot and rubbed his face trying to bring himself out of his stupor. "I'll be all right. I am just a temporary guest. You are worried about Lafayette, though, aren't you?"

"Somewhat. I went with him this afternoon to talk to some local farmers about letting us buy their wagons. The general was prepared to pay them whatever they asked."

"Any luck?"

"Hardly. They all claimed that they had no wagons, or teams. The British had taken them all."

"But you didn't believe it?" Jeremy said.

"No. I think they hid them in the woods."

"Did you tell the general that?"

"No," the sergeant said with a chuckle. "I feared he would have us hunting in those woods the rest of the evening."

Jeremy smiled. "He is a man obsessed."

"Aye."

"Maybe Mrs. Keating can take his mind off of it."

The sergeant slid a quick narrowed-eye glance at Jeremy.

"What's wrong?" Jeremy asked.

"That Mrs. Keating. I'd just as soon she not be here. A woman like that should not be in an army camp."

"Why do you say that? Do you know her?"

"Land sake's no, but I've heard enough."

"Wayne's gossip?"

"Perhaps, but it has my short-hairs on end seeing Lafayette being used to entertain her. He was moody and despondent all afternoon."

"He has obvious reason to be--"

"Yes, I know, but 'tis different. He's troubled down deep like he gets sometimes when even I can't reach him."

Jeremy raised up on his elbows. "That woman was more than I could handle, but I expect Lafayette to be her match."

The sergeant laughed. "He gives that impression doesn't he? Have you forgotten he is not much older than you? Where exactly would he have gained this knowledge and skill with women? In school?"

Jeremy frowned.

"Never mind, Jeremy. 'Tis not my place to speak of such things. My protective instincts have just been aroused. She'll be gone in a week's time and forgotten. I was about to come and get you. The general said to have you stay in this cabin until we know what McDonald has. He doesn't want to be returning your body in a casket to your father and trying to explain your loss to a camp disease."

A picture entered Jeremy's muddled brain of General Lafayette handing his father another flag. The consequences of his own death rarely crossed his mind in such vivid detail. "He said that?"

"Aye. He doesn't want you going among the men anymore either on work detail."

"But that is what Colonel Tilghman brought me here to do?"

"You have done enough. You said yourself you did not suspect any one of the men or officers could be plotting Washington's death."

"I suppose I will have to accept the fact that Elizabeth and Isak are now in the best position to carry out this mission. Will you be staying here as well?"

"Nay. I have to return to Lafayette's guards or they will be at one another's throats. He wants me to retrieve Henry from the hospital and have him join you. The general said he heard from one of the doctors that there's an epidemic of typhus going 'round. Henry could succumb to it."

"I'm worried about Henry myself. He is most apt to be affected by what he is witnessing. You'll have to drag him away kicking and screaming. I should go with you after I retrieve my blanket--"

"No, Jeremy. Don't bring anything from that cabin. There are blankets and clean linen here and clean shirts and britches too if you need them. Use anything you need here. I will have a new cot brought in for Henry. You can come with me if you like, but I want you to stay outside and not enter the hospital."

"All right. Is there soap in this cabin somewhere?"

The sergeant smiled. "Itching for a bath?"

"Aye. If I don't wash off some of this camp dirt, I'll be itching all right."

"You'll find soap and clothes in the trunks here. I'll have a tub brought in for you. You can heat your own water."

When Jeremy left with the sergeant for the hospital, snow was falling. A swirling foggy haze lit by a veiled moon covered the camp. It chilled Jeremy's heart and soul. His coat could barely keep out the biting wind and he had no hat. As they approached the hospital, the groans of the sick and injured punctured the night air. The sergeant raised his arm to stop him several meters from the building.

As he stood alone shivering in the cold, Jeremy thought General Lafayette had probably taken one look at him and decided he had to pull his tadpole from the muck or lose him. It amazed him that the young general could still stop to care about him and his friends in the midst of utter despair for all the men in camp. It made it even more bothersome that Wayne had not even visited his men. The Pennsylvanian may be a skilled leader on the battlefield, but he was a miserable failure in camp.

It wasn't long before the sergeant exited the hospital cabin pulling an argumentative Henry out by the arm behind him. Jeremy chuckled. Sure enough, Henry was not leaving without protest.

* * *

Lafayette limped into headquarters just as supper was being served at Washington's table. The commander looked surprised to see him but pleased. Elizabeth was relieved to see the young Frenchman because she felt Washington's concern that he might not make it. The commander had been watching the window and asking Hamilton about Lafayette's whereabouts until night fell. Hamilton finally admitted, with some reluctance, that he had seen him leave camp.

In the candlelit room with a large roaring fire, the foursome sat down to a quiet cold supper. A cake donated by the Dewees was the highlight of the simple repast. They had offered it to Elizabeth and Julie as a house-warming gift for the new hostess. It was coarse and tasteless, but all welcomed the sweet icing.

When Billy brought in the coffee, Elizabeth had to check herself from rising and assisting him. She smiled at Julie who returned her smile. Lafayette caught the exchange and gazed slyly at Elizabeth as if he knew what she had almost done. She noticed his tired eyes.

"Marquis," Julie said, "I do hope that you were able to accomplish today whatever it was General Greene was so anxious for you to do. We simply must see more of you tomorrow."

Lafayette put down his coffee cup and looked surprised. "_Mon Dieu_! Did General Greene vent his gall to everyone how I wasn't turning in those rosters to him fast enough?"

Julie chuckled. "Not exactly. We just understood that he was most likely the cause of your absence."

"_Oui_. I did work on the paperwork a bit but I'm afraid it is a long arduous task. There are many sick and dead to account for I'm afraid my predecessor made no effort at it."

"Well, I do not want to be the cause of you getting into trouble."

Lafayette glanced at his commander. "You needn't worry about that, Mrs. Keating. I assure you that if I get into trouble it is completely my own fault."

Julie giggled.

"Marquis," Washington said with a stern look, "I heard that you left camp today. Care to tell me where you went?"

"Just a trip to visit some of the local farmers in search of wagons and teams, sir."

"I see. Did you have any luck?"

"_Non_. They all told me they had no wagons or teams due to the British having confiscated them. They were lying. They have hidden whatever they have. I don't understand how Americans can turn their backs on their own army."

"Did you take your guard with you?" the older man asked.

"_Oui_. My guard and Sergeant Boggs."

"Ah. Then I feel much better if you had Boggs with you. He is a good man who knows my heart."

"He is your spy," Lafayette said.

Washington chuckled.

"Is General Washington too protective of you, Marquis?" Julie asked.

"I will answer that," Washington said. "Yes, I am protective of him. I try to make him sensible of the fact that he is a symbol of this Cause not only to the people of this country but all around the world and as a symbol he must be protected."

Lafayette uttered a mild oath under his breath and looked to the fire.

Washington reached over and gripped the younger man's arm. "Come now, Marquis, do you really wish to show these two ladies your wanton willfulness?"

Lafayette turned to Mrs. Keating with a forced smile. "I am sorry, Mrs Keating. Sometimes I grow frustrated with being a 'symbol'. To me it is but another word for 'sidelined'."

Julie laughed. "I am familiar with the sentiment, sir. It is only to be expected that your youth would lead you to a desire for action and glory. It is the way of all young men; even General Washington was once such a youth. Surely, he can remember what it was like?"

Washington smiled as he cracked a nut in his large hand. "Of course. That is why I surround myself with gallant youngsters eager for a fight. I know I can count on them if a fight is necessary." Washington affectionately gripped the younger general about the back of the neck then motioned to Billy to bring more coffee.

"So, what did you two ladies find to do today?" Lafayette asked. "I hope it wasn't a complete bore?"

"Oh, goodness no," Julie said. "We got to know each other and talked as we women like to do. I felt like I was back in school again in London." Julie winked at Elizabeth who smiled in return.

"We went to visit with the Dewees and met their large family," Elizabeth said.

"Large indeed," Julie said. "I don't see how they keep all those people in that small house. There was a child everywhere I looked, I had to take care not to step on one, and here I am without a single infant. It made me feel shamefully--barren!"

Elizabeth laughed. "They tried to tell us which child belonged to whom, but it was very confusing and we all fell to laughing."

"They were quite a happy family I must say," Julie said without emotion, "to be with hardly a crust of bread to put on the table and so many mouths to feed."

"Hmm…," General Washington said, "I know that feeling but I am struggling to find any joy in it."

"General Washington, I recommend that you pay that family a visit. 'Twill cheer your soul," Elizabeth said.

"I may just do that, Elizabeth. My soul needs cheering. Right now I think a glass of Madeira wine might have to do, though."

"General Washington," Julie said with a gasp, "how do you manage to obtain Madeira? Even Rutherford with all of his many business agents can not find even a pipe."

Washington winked. "There are some things, my dear, a man will risk prison for and for me it is Madeira wine. I dare the British custom agents to come and demand their import duties."

Everyone laughed with the commander.

"I obtain the Madeira from the same sources as much of my weaponry and uniforms--smugglers and privateers. I will give Rutherford some names that will keep your cellar filled with the sweet fortified wine. It makes wonderful deserts as well that Hannah can share with you. Billy bring the Madeira and four glasses."

Billy disappeared.

"It is a shame we can not have all the same goods that are so easily obtained in England," Julie said. "I never knew want of anything there."

Washington looked at Lafayette with doting eyes. "Marquis, I meant to tell you earlier, there's an article about you in the Virginia Gazette. It's there on the sofa. Retrieve it; I think you will find it entertaining."

"Really?" Lafayette said with mild trepidation.

"It's about Brandywine. It's dated November. You know I get all the news late. I feel like I'm on the bloody frontier sometimes."

Lafayette started to arise but grimaced with pain. Washington grabbed his arm in concern. "Son, stay seated. I didn't realize your leg was hurting you." The older man arose and fetched the paper.

"It's on the front page," Washington said as he returned to his seat. "You don't have to look far."

The young Frenchman read the article. "Seems I've made a name for myself by getting in the way of a British bullet," Lafayette said with a smirk. "My leg has been reminding of that all day."

"You were shot?" Julie said.

"Yes, he was shot as he was bravely trying to rally fleeing men at Brandywine," Washington said. "Then, even before his wound was healed, he was putting seasoned Hessians to their heels at Gloucester. I was quite impressed and so was congress. They honored him with his own command as reward. An elite brigade, the Virginia Light Infantry. I expect he and his men will be leading this army to victory one day." General Washington smiled proudly at the younger man, who blushed and dropped his head.

"Well, my word, Marquis, apparently not everyone thinks you are a mere symbol," Julie exclaimed.

"It was an honor," Lafayette said, "and exactly what I had hoped for--a field command."

"Yes, we can't keep this young warrior behind the lines, try as we may. He insists on putting his life in danger on the frontline of the battle."

"You only know that because you are there with me," Lafayette said.

Washington chuckled.

Elizabeth was relieved that the two men had put their earlier differences behind them regarding Lafayette's absence at dinner and tardiness at returning for supper. It had concerned her that Julie Keating was going to create a rift between them. As she relaxed though, she began to worry about her friends out in the cold. She heard the creak of the roof overhead as the wind grew in strength. She arose and walked to the window to see a wall of white. It was a blizzard. She heard Julie talking at length about England to General Washington. Even Elizabeth knew that would probably not be the commander's favorite subject. It all seemed so unreal--her standing here in General Washington's office, having supper at his table--she felt a presence near her, a firm hand on her shoulder. "Elizabeth," Lafayette whispered, "you needn't worry about your friends. I had Jeremy and Henry moved to my cabin. Isak is safe and warm in the stable."

Elizabeth looked up into the young man's dark kind eyes. "Thank you, sir. I was anxious about them in this storm. You have greatly relieved my concern."

The general looked out. "_Oui._ The men will suffer grievously this night. It causes me great distress."

Elizabeth nodded. "I know, sir."

* * *

After supper, everyone retired. Lafayette wanted to write his wife. He sat down at the desk in the small cramped room he used as a bedchamber when he was a guest at headquarters. He had a view of the front yard and road. Washington's guards were pacing the perimeter. The snow was already up to their ankles.

His candle flickered from the wind that found its way through the old sash. He shivered and shut the wood shutters to close off the draft, then turned his attention to his wife and babies in France. Sometimes, the effort to write them brought a convulsion of emotion that made it impossible for him to continue with the task. He thought he had the strength this night. Picking up his quill, he began; "_Cher Adrienne_--" There was a knock at his door.

"_Oui,_ _entré_."

The door opened and Julie stood shyly in the hall. "I saw you were still awake. Would it be improper for me to come in and talk a bit?"

Lafayette stood. "_Non_, please enter. I'm afraid there is scarce a place to sit, but make yourself comfortable."

She entered and looked about, scanning the sparingly furnished room. There was only the bed and a trunk. She opted for the trunk beside the desk. After sitting down cautiously, she wrapped her arms about herself as if cold. "Brrrr…it is very cold in here. This is quite small, Marquis. I think you are a bit too tall for this space."

Lafayette chuckled as he pulled his coat from the back of chair and wrapped it about her shoulders. "This is luxury in comparison to my field tent. Is something troubling you? Are you homesick?" Lafayette sat back down at the desk.

"Oh, no. I am quite happy to be here. General Washington has let me take on the food arrangements and given me charge over the kitchen. I have a purpose."

He was surprised at that revelation and felt some remorse for Hannah and Billy. "I'm sure the commander will appreciate your feminine touch in that department."

"Yes, sometimes it takes a woman. I have a talent after all. Are you writing to your wife, Adrienne?"

"_Oui_. I am curious--how did you learn her name?"

"When you host many parties you learn many things, most of which are mere trifles. I heard it at one of Rutherford's many gatherings of the elite in Philadelphia."

"Ah, I see." The general was trying to think whom he had told of his family in Philadelphia. He had not spent all that much time there before joining Washington at Whitemarsh.

"Were some of your friends indiscrete in sharing that information?" she asked demurely with a flutter of long dark eyelashes.

"I don't mean to imply I am troubled by it. I was just curious. I don't recall telling anyone from Philadelphia the names of my children. I am very protective of them. I do not wish for my activities to encroach upon their innocence."

Julie shrugged. "I'm sure they are quite safe in France. You do know that I am acquainted with numerous well-placed people here in the colonies? Sometimes the information I am privy to can assist someone in his career. I like to help my friends."

"Can you obtain meat and shirts for my men?" the young man asked excitedly.

Julie frowned. "I was thinking of something…on a more personal level."

"Oh. I see. You want to help me acquire my fame? I'm sorry, sometimes I still do not understand English very well."

Julie chirped. "I think your English is beautiful."

"_Merci_, that is encouraging."

"Marquis, I fear my being here at headquarters is making you uncomfortable."

"_Non_, not in any way, _madame_."

"_Madame_? Can you not bring yourself to call me Julie? Remember, you told me you would. I noticed you call Elizabeth by her first name. I consider you a friend. Will you not return the same sentiment?"

"Elizabeth is a very young girl away from home in a strange place. I am sorry if I gave you the impression that I was uncomfortable. Sometimes General Washington gets, how do you American's say--'my dander up'?"

Julie chuckled brightly. "Yes, I could see that and I completely understand. I think he wants you and I to be good friends and is being a bit forceful at having his way."

"_Oui._ That is his way." He noticed her perfume. It filled the small space. When they fell quiet, he could here her soft breathing and see the rise and fall of her breasts, which were prominent under her tight low-cut bodice. He admired her form as he might admire a fine horse, but suddenly realized she was watching the movement of his eyes. She smiled knowingly when his eyes met hers.

"Marquis, I believe you are being misused here. You are clearly a dedicated trained professional being led by amateurs. I'm sure a few well placed comments on my part in regards to your character could help you achieve a higher standing and greater command. Like I said, I know many well-placed men in congress."

"I-I, well…" Lafayette stammered. A warning bell rang in his head. He had heard this kind of offer before from men like Conway and Gates in the recent past and had shamefully fallen for it. He didn't want to be stung again. He needed only Washington and Greene's assurances of his worth and he wanted to do nothing that would set him adrift from their affection.

"Just think about it," the woman said with a wrinkle of her small nose. "I want nothing more than to help you as an older sister might do. I shouldn't keep you from your writing." She arose and placed the coat back on his chair and placed her hand on his shoulder to keep him from standing. "I hope my intrusion did not discomfort you."

"_Non_, not at all."

"You are so much more…approachable…than General Washington. I love him dearly, but he is so cold."

"_Oui_, I understand. You may come to me with any concern you have, Julie."

"Thank you, Marquis. You are very kind." She looked over his shoulder at his letter. "I am sorry you are so far from your family. That letter will take a month to cross the ocean. It is quite a sacrifice you are making for us Americans."

"It is well worth it."

Julie bent down and kissed his temple. She brushed his cheek with the back of her hand. "_Bonne nuit_, my dear Marquis."

"_Bonne nuit_, Julie. Sleep well."

She slipped quietly from the room. He returned to his letter, but suddenly found himself unable to find any words. Julie's perfume lingered about him. After blowing out the candle, he sat on the bed and started to remove his boots. His wounded leg throbbed making it difficult to perform the simple task. The wind howled outside. It rattled the windows, like a monster trying to gain entry to the house. He was accustomed to the sounds the house made in the wind, but he heard a different sound that came from the stairway. A sudden rush of alarm filled him as he remembered the imminent danger to General Washington's life.

He pushed his foot back into his boot painfully then arose and grabbed his pistol from the desk. Crossing the room to the door in two strides, he opened it a crack and looked out to see in the dim moonlight a dark form descending the stair. He couldn't make out who it was but it was larger than Julie or Elizabeth. His breathing quickened. The aides were not in the house, the maid had returned home at dark. It may have just been Billy. He often assisted General Washington in his preparations for bed. The young general saw light under Washington's door--he had to be sure his commander was safe. He stepped out and knocked on the door. "Your Excellency, are you well?"

"Yes, Marquis. Is something wrong?"

"I just saw someone going down the stairs. Was it Billy?"

"No. No one has been in here."

"All right. I will go down and look around. Don't trouble yourself with it. Good night, sir."

"Good night."

Lafayette hurried downstairs with his pistol ready. He grabbed the lantern near the door as he opened it. A cold blast of snow hit him in the face. He yelled to the boyish guard outside over the roar of the wind. "Did you see a man leave just now?"

The guard shook his head as he was stomping his feet trying to keep warm.

"Light this for me." The general handed the lantern to the boy.

The sentry used a branch from his small sentry fire to light the lantern and handed it back.

Lafayette shut the door and bolted the lock. He looked in the front room and found it empty--then Washington's office—also empty. The backdoor and the door that led to the kitchen were barred from the inside. This was troubling. He knew he hadn't imagined that form. It couldn't have just disappeared. The house was locked up. _A ghost? Non. A trick of the wind and the dim light from without_. He relaxed, put the lantern out, and returned to bed.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The next morning there was two feet of snow on the ground and it was still snowing but with less commitment than the night before. Guards cleared paths from headquarters to allow the modest amount of army business to continue. General Washington and his family remained inside for the morning. They were joined for breakfast by Alexander Hamilton, John Laurens and Tench Tilghman—General Washington's closest aides. A table was added to enlarge the seating in the General's office. Julie took charge of covering it and arranging makeshift centerpieces of pinecones and winterberries, which she sent poor Billy out to retrieve from the wood. The sharp smell of fresh pine soon filled the house. The young aides were amused with the socialite's presence and her command of the servants.

Elizabeth entered from the breezeway to see a smiling Hamilton meeting Lafayette descending the stairs slipping on his military coat. As she sat down in a small chair beside the door to remove her cloak and boots, she could not help hearing their conversation.

"Why are you so cheerful this morning Alexander?" Lafayette asked. "Has beef arrived in camp?"

"_Non, mon ami_, I am merely showing my enthusiasm for your good fortune."

"What good fortune would that be?"

Hamilton chuckled. "Why you are the envy of us all, Gilbert, holed up in this house with two beautiful young women. The very thought of them sleeping on the other side of your chamber wall must have kept you awake all night."

Lafayette tugged at the bottom of his thigh-length vest and straightened his cravat. "I assure you Mr. Hamilton, I have no designs upon those two young women. What kept me awake was an unexplained intruder upon the stairs, which apparently disappeared when I descended to acquaint myself with him."

Elizabeth caught her breath and listened closely.

Hamilton's face changed from amused to troubled. His blue eyes narrowed. "That is of concern, of course, in light of the current alert regarding the commander's safety. You could not make out who it was?"

"_Non--_just a large shadow."

"Perchance, his Excellency should consider having one of us aides stay downstairs while the ladies are here, to keep an eye on things."

"Alexander, I don't think his Excellency trusts any of his aides with the two young ladies."

The colonel made a growling noise in his throat.

Billy walked up and said, "Sirs, breakfast is served. His Excellency wishes your attendance."

"Thank you, Billy," Lafayette said.

Elizabeth arose and followed behind the young men. Before she entered, she caught sight of the laundress treading lightly up the stairs with a basket in her hands. She was going to strip the beds. Elizabeth caught her eye and received a strange hateful look from the haggard woman. _What was the meaning of that?_ She was beginning to think there was more than one servant involved in the plot to assassinate Washington.

"You need to inform Tench of what you saw," Hamilton said as they walked to Washington's office.

"Of course, but do not bring it up in front of the ladies, Alexander. There's no need to frighten them."

"Ah, there they are," Washington said as the two men entered. "Gentlemen our new hostess, Julie Keating, whom I am proud to present to you, has arranged a delightful break from our fast. Let us not offend her with our tardiness."

Julie curtsied bashfully. "It is only a little decoration, General. I wouldn't be raising their hopes for more than their usual eggs and sausage. I promise to have dried fruit and nuts as well as jams and jellies brought from my estate as soon as it can be arranged." Colonel Laurens pulled Julie's chair out for her, placing her at Washington's left. Then the young colonel with a silly smile upon his handsome face sat down beside her and watched her arrange her napkin and take a sip of water. She eyed him curiously out of the corner of her eye.

"Ah, that reminds me," Washington said as he sat down at the head of the table and arranged his napkin, "have you a list to give Colonel Hamilton?"

"Why yes I do." Julie pulled a folded note from her skirt pocket and handed it to General Washington. Elizabeth thought that odd. She had been with Julie all night and morning and never saw her sit down to write a note.

Lafayette pulled a chair out for Elizabeth and then sat down at the opposite end of the table from Washington.

The commander looked over the note with raised eyebrows and then handed it to Hamilton who was at his right hand. "Alex, I need you to arrange retrieval of these items from the Keating estate."

"The roads are not passable today, sir--"

"Do it as soon as it is possible but without undo delay," Washington said with some perturbation.

"Aye, sir."

Washington turned an eye on Colonel Laurens who was leaning with his chin on his hand still infatuated with Mrs. Keating. "Colonel Laurens your food is getting cold. Do you not think it apposite to give it _some _of your attention?" the commander asked.

Titters traveled around the table as the red-faced young man picked up his fork and dropped his eyes to his plate. Elizabeth tried but could not contain a giggle under her breath.

After everyone began to eat, Washington announced, "I am expecting Thomas Jefferson to be visiting us this week. I don't know the exact day he will arrive. I want all of you to take care to show him the highest regard and courtesy. See to his every need without my having to tell you do to so."

"Of course, your Excellency," Colonel Tilghman said. "Is he coming for a specific purpose or just a friendly visit?"

"Politicians never do anything without a purpose, Tench," Washington said with a chuckle, which caused everyone to laugh in return. The young men made a point of laughing at their commander's jokes.

"What purpose might that be?" Colonel Laurens asked.

"I suspect he wants to find out when I am going to attack Philadelphia and drive the British out."

The aides looked at one another elatedly.

"Don't become agitated, boys," Washington said. "I have no intention of attacking Philadelphia unless provoked." The commander proceeded to attack his sausage.

"I've heard from reliable sources," Julie said, "that the British have no intention of attacking you. They know just how well protected you are."

The young men stared wide-eyed at the beautiful guest, surprised at her apparent knowledge of the mind of the British.

"It came from refugees that were at my party the other night," the lady said. "Goodness sirs, you surely don't think the British imparted their plans upon little ol' me do you?"

The men chuckled.

"Let's hope it is true," Washington said as he took a sip of water.

"Tench," Washington said, "have you made any progress in your assessment of that little matter regarding a British spy intent on snuffing me out?"

Tench stopped his fork of eggs just shy of his open mouth. He put the fork down and cleared his throat. "Ah, sir, it seems that it might be a local or a camp follower with the intention, but it is British spies in camp that are encouraging and aiding the person, as well as bragging about it."

"Indeed?" Washington said with an amused twinkle in his gray eyes. "A laundress with a grievance against me?"

Hamilton and Laurens laughed and Tilghman joined in.

Elizabeth was embarrassed for being party to the knowledge.

"Well," Tilghman continued, "we have heard it was some 'grievous crime' you committed but the exact nature of the crime has not come to light."

"You are in danger?" Julie asked concerned.

Washington reached over and patted her arm. "My dear, I am always in danger, but those many guards outside have yet to let me down."

"Oh, of course." Julie said.

"Well, do let me know when the case of the angry laundress has been concluded," Washington said dryly. "I wish to have more freedom to inspect the camp and your desire that I stay close to headquarters is becoming a hindrance to my need to lead the men with my presence."

"Of course, your Excellency," Tench said.

Washington smiled at Elizabeth then Julie. "Present company is easing my burden."

"Marquis you have barely touched your food, are you well?" Julie asked.

The young Frenchman looked up from teasing his eggs with his fork. "I am well, Mrs. Keating. I'm afraid every time I sit down in front of a plate of food my mind drifts to the men that have nothing to ease their hunger."

"General Lafayette, must you deny us a moment of respite from the condition of this camp?" Washington snapped. "We are all equally concerned about the men and are doing everything in our power to relieve it."

"Ah—sir, I-I am well aware of that. I did not mean--"

"Oh, please don't chastise him General Washington," Julie said. "It was I that caused the topic to arise. Please forgive me. Silly me, I should have guessed the cause of his lack of appetite and not questioned him."

Washington turned his angry eyes from Lafayette to smile upon his hostess.

Elizabeth wanted to puke. She was not going to enjoy the presence of Mrs. Keating one bit.

* * *

Henry awoke feeling warmer than usual, and then remembered being dragged against his will to Lafayette's cabin. He had clean sheets under him and two warm blankets keeping the chill out and he was still feeling the warm exhilarating effects of the hot bath he had the night before. The wind was no longer whipping the building. He could see daylight through small chinks in the logs around the chimney. His gaze fell upon an Indian sitting at the fire—poking it to life. Henry quickly donned his wire-frame glasses and chuckled as his vision cleared revealing merely his friend Jeremy wrapped from head to toe in a blanket with a crop of newly cleaned hair protruding like feathers from his head.

Jeremy looked back. "You are awake, Abbington?"

"Aye, unfortunately. I think I was having the first real sleep since I arrived."

"It was very comfortable last night," Jeremy said. "I feel guilty for being here."

"Aye, I do believe our dear General Lafayette, saved us from frost bite if not damnation."

"I'm afraid we are snowed-in for a while. There is two foot of snow against the door. I couldn't open it."

Henry laughed. "Well, that will give me a task to occupy myself."

"Please do. I must visit the latrine," Jeremy said.

Henry arose and dressed. His first attempt at the door proved fruitless. He pushed with his shoulder. While he was grunting at his work a voice called from outside. "Ho, wait a minute there and I'll shovel some of this away." It was Sergeant Boggs.

"That would be most appreciated, Sergeant," Jeremy yelled.

The sound of a spade slicing through ice and snow went on for several minutes. Then Boggs opened the door and stepped inside dropping bits of snow on the wood floor. "I believe you can venture out now."

"Thank you, Sergeant. I must run out for a bit. I will return," Jeremy said as he donned his coat and rushed out the door.

"How are you this morning, Mr. Abbington?" the sergeant asked.

"Quite well, sir. Jeremy and I were just commenting on how nice it was to get a full night sleep."

"Aye. I'm afraid I bring a bit of bad news this morning."

"Oh?" Henry said while looking over his round spectacles.

"Sergeant McDonald died in the night."

"Oh my." Henry closed his eyes for a moment. "That was Jeremy's cabin mate?"

"Aye."

Henry looked up with sudden concern. "What was his ailment?"

"The doctor said it was most likely pneumonia."

The cabin door swung open and Jeremy jumped back in closing it swiftly behind him. His teeth were chattering. "Going to the latrine must be the worst part of this whole ordeal," he said as he patted his arms and rushed to the fire.

Boggs chuckled. "Most of the men don't make it all the way, which explains the acrid conditions in much of the camp."

Jeremy wrinkled his nose.

"Sergeant McDonald died of pneumonia last night," Henry said.

The captain winced. "Did you say he died?"

"Aye."

Jeremy collapsed mournfully in a camp chair. "'Twas awfully sudden."

"It does seem so," the sergeant said.

"My goodness, he died alone. I should have been with him. I shouldn't have left--"

"No Jeremy," the sergeant said. "He refused medical help. You heard him yourself last night when Lafayette asked."

"He was a stubborn fool." Jeremy dropped his blond head in his hands and rubbed his face. "This is such a nightmare. Who is going to survive?"

"My advice to you both is not to dwell on it. Keep your minds busy with your mission. I have obtained some information for you."

Jeremy's face brightened with anticipation.

"None of the names of the servants you gave me matches up with the men that were shot or hung of late."

"Then we are no closer to finding the assassin," Jeremy said, dejected.

"Well, not completely," Boggs said.

"Two of the soldiers that were shot for desertion came from this area. They were born and raised here, which probably made it easy for them to think of home and a warm bed. You could talk to the men from their company that knew them and see if you can match them up to one or more of your servant suspects."

"That's a great idea. Where will I find these men?" Jeremy asked.

"Right outside the door--the troublemakers from last night."

"Oh."

"It might be wise to have me attend while you question them?" the sergeant said with a smirk.

"That would be most appreciated, Sergeant," Jeremy replied.

A gunshot rang out nearby--the men in the cabin jumped in alarm. The sergeant bolted for the door and pushed it open. There were shouts, the clatter of horse's hooves galloping away, a scuffle. Boggs turned and shouted, "Stay in the cabin, boys. Bar the door. Keep your weapons handy. There's an officer down. Looks like a mutiny." The sergeant ran out and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

A runner entered headquarters with a clatter of boots nearly running over Elizabeth as she accepted mail from a courier. He was stopped in the entry hall by Hamilton and Laurens. "It's a mutiny!" he yelled in a panic.

"Where? Who?" Hamilton asked. Lafayette and Washington walked up.

"The First Pennsylvania. They've killed a lieutenant. They're demanding food and shoes or they'll leave camp and take what they need where they find it."

"Dear God," Washington said shaking his head.

"Sir, I shall ride up there and speak with them," Lafayette said.

"I shall go with him," Hamilton said.

Washington took a deep breath. "Where is General Wayne?"

"At his quarters, sir," Hamilton said. "It is too far away under these conditions to retrieve him."

"All right. I must go with you. Send a rider to Wayne," Washington said.

"Sir, I must protest," Tilghman said. "You cannot place yourself in such danger. Those men are mad with hunger."

"Must I now fear my own men, Tench?" Washington asked.

The colonel looked for support from the other officers. "We can not lose you sir, not for a petty mutiny of the desperate. Please sir, let your aides take care of this."

"He is right, _mon général_," Lafayette pleaded. "You are too valuable and essential to this army. The loss of you would destroy every vestige of hope in the men. I will go with Alexander. We will hear the men's demands. I know these men."

Washington's face turned white. He looked at Lafayette and Hamilton. He placed a hand on each man's shoulder. "All right, but you must use utmost caution and prudence. Do not allow yourselves to be trapped and taken as hostages. They have murdered an officer."

Elizabeth trembled. The word mutiny brought the specter in her mind of a dark angry mob. She thought of her friends in Wayne's camp and Lafayette so willing to walk into it. He seemed so unprotected, so young, so small in comparison.

"Aye, sir," Hamilton said. "We will be careful."

Hamilton and Lafayette hurried out. Washington turned to see Julie standing frightened on the stair. "My dear, please come down. It's all right."

Julie rushed down and buried herself sobbing in Washington's embrace. "Shh…he said. "It is far away from here on the other side of camp. There is nothing to fear."

"I fear for you, my dear adopted father, and the marquis," Julie said. "Do those men want to hurt you? Do they want to hurt the marquis?"

"They want of everything required for human sustenance--the poor miserable souls."

Tears came to Elizabeth's eyes as she saw the tenderness of Washington's embrace of Julie. He smoothed her hair and kissed her forehead. The desperateness of the camp had suddenly imposed itself on this happy home. She felt silly for having imagined it as a family, a home. It was headquarters for an army that was falling apart. General Washington and all the officers were in grave danger, and so were Jeremy and Henry at Lafayette's cabin.

She walked into the front room and peered out the window towards the plateau that rose above headquarters to the south. She could see nothing but the intervening carriage house and the Dewees farm beyond and the blue tree-covered rise in the distance. There were no gunshots or shouts of warning. It was as if the snow muffled a hateful din.

Elizabeth felt a presence at her side. Looking up, she saw the worried face of Tench Tilghman who was also peering out the window over her head. "You mustn't worry about your own safety, Miss Coates. You are well protected here. Those men will take out their grievance upon their closest officers."

"Yes, sir, but my friends Jeremy and Henry are there in General Lafayette's cabin."

Tilghman nodded. "Then we must pray that they be kept safe and Hamilton and Lafayette can calm the men."

* * *

Jeremy and Henry sat facing the door, their pistols in hand. There were shouts and gunshots, but they couldn't tell from where they came or make out the words.

A banging on the cabin door caused both men to jump. The wooden latch popped up and down angrily. Rasping ragged voices assailed their ears.

"Get the door open!"

"It's barred from within."

"How can that be? No one's there, or perchance—"

"Lafayette, are you in there? You better open this door or we'll pull it down!"

The crunch of boots on snow announced the presence of a crowd of men outside the door. Jeremy looked at Henry who was shaking. He whispered, "Henry, that door looks stout enough to hold against a team of oxen."

"Oxen are not so clever as men, Jeremy."

Jeremy yelled, "The general isn't here."

"Who the devil are you?"

"Jeremy Larkin."

"Is there food in thar?"

"No. There is nothing here."

"He's lyin' else why's he barred in?"

"Hey, he's a captain. I seen him t'other night in uniform. Get an ax boys, we'll hang him from the ridge of that cabin and show them we mean business."

Henry gripped his friend's arm in alarm.

"I tell you there is nothing here," Jeremy yelled, "nor anyone that can assist you." Jeremy cursed himself for being so negligent and vain to have been seen in camp in that infernal uniform.

"That boy ain't no commissioned officer. He's a Pennsylvanian."

"Then he's a rat. He's sittin' in the general's quarters." Jeremy jumped at the crunch of an ax hitting the door.

Horse's hooves stomped the ground outside. Sergeant Boggs yelled, "Get away from that cabin. You will see Lafayette soon enough."

"We demand food! Wayne better show up with a wagon o' food or we're goin' to kill every damn officer we can find, includin' you and Lafayette and anyone else that comes up here. We don't care what state or nation they're from," an angry man yelled.

A bevy of voices rose like braying mules and began a chant: "No meat! No meat! No meat!"

More horses arrived. The lack of windows in the cabin made Jeremy feel trapped. His fear nearly suffocated him when he heard Lafayette's voice outside.

"You men, what is this you are doing?"

The chanting stopped and one voice called out, "We are demanding what we are due--our pay, food, and clothing."

"You are due all of that from your own state government. They have not provided."

"We don't know that's true. All we know is we're starving and fed up."

"You will get no satisfaction with this uprising," Lafayette said. "You had best state your grievances calmly and allow us to see what we can do for you."

There was a sudden hushed quiet, then murmuring.

"We might entertain that, but more than half of us have already headed out from camp fully armed. They intend to find some food then some decent clothes and shelter. They won't be coming back. If you follow them, they'll kill you. They'll kill anyone that stands in their way."

There was silence.

"Then why did you men remain?" Lafayette asked.

"We don't want to mutiny. That is not our aim. It is our angry bellies talking."

"Do you not know that I would provide you with food if I could obtain it? My money is worthless against this."

"Aye, sir, but what else can a starving man do?"

"I ask you to return to your cabins. I will scour this camp for whatever I can find for you and have it here by morning. If you give up the people responsible for the Lieutenant's death, you will not be charged with mutiny."

"The killers left the camp, sir."

"Very well. Will you do as I ask, and obey your officers?"

The men murmured and scuffled.

"I reckon, but it won't be long before being shot for mutiny will be a blessing."

The soldiers dispersed. Jeremy and Henry jumped at a knock at the door.

"Jeremy, it is General Lafayette."

Jeremy leapt up and unbarred the door to find the offending ax still buried in the thick wood. The tall Frenchman removed his hat and ducked under the doorframe. "Are you two all right?"

"Aye, sir," Jeremy said.

Lafayette embraced each man, and then inspected each at arms length as if he feared a deception. "I'm sorry you had to experience that. The lack of provisions has finally turned the men into beggars and brigands."

"Is it the whole camp, sir? What of headquarters?"

"No, it is just the Pennsylvania First, or what's left of it. Everyone is safe at headquarters. I'm afraid there is little I can immediately do to move you away from here. The aides are taking up all the available cabins near headquarters. I shall arrange with one of the other general's to put you up."

"No, sir," Jeremy said in a panic. "We should stay here. I don't want to give up our cover. We must catch the person that is plotting Washington's demise."

Lafayette shook his head and spoke in a weary voice. "That is very brave of you Jeremy, but this is a very dangerous place right now. The camp is deteriorating at a rapid rate. It would be best that you return to Chester. You should be able to leave in the morning."

"Please, sir, we will not leave _you_!" Jeremy turned imploring eyes upon Henry.

"It would be a difficult trip, General," Henry said. "The roads will be treacherous. I agree with Jeremy. I think we should take our chances here and maybe be of some help."

Sergeant Boggs entered the cabin. He had a cut on his cheek that appeared to be from a knife.

"Sergeant, you are bleeding," Henry said. "Here, let me clean the wound."

"It is nothing, Henry."

"You will not think it nothing if it becomes infected. Come and sit down by the fire."

"Do as he asks, Sergeant," Lafayette said. "I do not wish to lose you to a scratch."

As Henry attended him, Boggs said, "Sir, Sergeant McDonald died last night."

Lafayette's face fell in despair "_Mon Dieu,_ they are dying so fast there is no longer time to grieve." The general stepped to a cot and sat down burying his face in his hands. "I would do anything for these suffering soldiers, if Providence would only see fit to put it within my grasp."

"I was about to question some of the officers in that regiment," Jeremy said. "I think that may lead us to the person that wants to kill Washington."

Lafayette looked up puzzled. "They are going to be in no mood to be questioned, Jeremy."

"I realize it could be difficult but perhaps over a plate of hot food, their tongues would loosen?"

The Frenchman's dark brows rose. "Do you know someone specifically you wish to speak with?"

"That Captain Slake from last night would be a good starting point," the sergeant said. "He was the deserters' company commander."

"Very well," Lafayette said. "I shall wait to obtain General Wayne's permission to interrogate Captain Slake then arrange a meeting for you."

"Thank you, sir." Jeremy rubbed the back of his neck, which ached from the tension. "Sir, Elizabeth is going to be concerned for Henry and I. May we go see her?"

"You both should leave here for now. Go up to the carriage house and see Isak. I will send Elizabeth out to you, and encourage her to bring you food. I can't have you mutinying, too," the general said with a tired smile.

Jeremy returned the smile. "That would be most kind, sir."


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Elizabeth was watching from the open doorway at headquarters when Lafayette and Hamilton returned. They left their horses with Isak and hurried to the house. She met them in the yard. "Thank God, you two have returned safely. We were all afraid for you."

The general took her in his arms and embraced her. "It is all right, Elizabeth. Jeremy and Henry are coming to the carriage house. Do you think you can arrange some food for them with Hannah?"

Elizabeth's despair turned to joy. "Oh, yes sir. I am sure of that. Thank you, sir." She rose on her toes and kissed the young Frenchman's cheek, then parted from him and headed for the kitchen.

As he watched Elizabeth rush off, Lafayette felt the hair rise on the back of his neck. He looked up to see Julie in the upstairs window of her bedchamber. She quickly disappeared.

The officers entered the hall of the house and removed their greatcoats and hats, which they handed to Billy.

"Thank God, indeed," General Washington said from the doorway to his office. "What do we have gentlemen?"

"The soldiers that are left have agreed to stay in their cabins for now," Lafayette said. "I promised them food, though."

"Very well, will the supplies here do? There is some salted beef and some fresh mutton. My guards can subsist on soup for a while."

Lafayette looked at Hamilton who nodded. "I think that would more than do, sir. It would take very little to satisfy them for now."

"Very well. See that it is done Alex."

"Yes, sir." Colonel Hamilton left to carry out the order.

"You needn't bother yourself any further with it, Marquis," Washington said. "General Wayne will arrive soon. It is his command. It is Pennsylvania's responsibility."

"Yes, sir."

The older man looked up with worried eyes. "Julie is beside herself with fear. She is upstairs crying her eyes out."

"There is no need for her fear. She was not in danger."

"We both know that, but she is a woman, Marquis. They need reassurance. Please go up and talk with her. She will greatly appreciate seeing that you are all right."

Lafayette felt that an odd request. "Would it not be more proper for you to attend her, sir?"

Washington looked perturbed. "Gilbert, do I have to spell everything out for you?" he murmured.

"I do not understand what you mean, your Excellency."

"Just go upstairs and comfort the lady, please."

"Yes, sir," Lafayette said with a bow of his head.

The young general mounted the stairs and knocked on Julie's door. "It is General Lafayette, Julie, may I come in?"

"Oh, yes, of course," Julie said with a sob. "Please do."

Lafayette opened the door to find Julie lying on the bed with a handkerchief to her face. Her red eyes and nose told him she had been crying profusely. She sat up as he came in and then rose suddenly and jumped into his arms startling him. "Oh, dear, dear, Gilbert. I was so worried for you."

"_Madame _Keating, I am quite all right, I assure you. I only had to talk to the men, to calm them and support them. They are most desperate."

"I do not care about them!" she exploded in anger. "How dare those ungrateful wretches threaten you and General Washington?"

The sensitive leader felt the urge to slap the hysterical woman for her attack upon the hungry men but he managed to refrain. "They were not threatening us—at least not General Washington. They are starving, barefoot and nearly naked. Please calm yourself." Julie's arms gripped his neck like a vice. He wrapped his arms around her as he could do little else and waited for her to have her cry out. It took several uncomfortable minutes with her trembling body pressed against his. What did his commander expect of him?

Finally, she released him and drew back to wipe her cheeks with her handkerchief. She stood apart for a moment, and then looked up shyly with her blue eyes still full of tears. "You must think me a silly girl. I am sorry for this display of emotion, dear Marquis. I could only think of your poor young wife and babies the whole while you were gone."

"I-I am sorry you had to experience this, _madame_."

"Call me Julie!" she said exasperated. She sat down on the bed in a huff.

"Of course, Julie."

"Shut the door. I do not wish to disturb General Washington."

The Frenchman turned and shut the door behind him.

"Come and sit beside me." She patted the quilt on the bed. "I so need to know that you are all right. You are not just placating me?"

"_Non_, I am completely unharmed." Lafayette exhaled a puff of air and sat down on the bed beside the trembling woman. He put his arm around her. She leaned into him and placed her hand on his free hand that rested on his thigh, entwining her fingers with his.

"I would make a very bad officer's wife would I not?" Julie said with a chuckle.

Her childish voice made the general smile. "An officer's wife must tolerate very long absences from her husband and the constant fear that he might be killed."

"You must be very lonely for your wife."

"_Oui_. I miss her terribly. I miss my home." The very thought of his family caused the general to struggle for breath. He felt the accustomed tears rising to fill his eyes but he held them in check.

"As much as General Washington tries to make this a home, he can not make that up to you."

"What do you mean?"

Julie lowered her eyes. "Do you not wish for a woman to hold you now and then, Gilbert?"

"Ah…well—"

"Tell me truthfully. It must be very lonely all those nights you spend alone in a tent or a cabin, or wherever it is you lay your head. I would think it quite dreadful."

"I'm accustomed to it, Julie. I am a soldier. I was a soldier stationed in the French wilderness soon after I married."

"Soldier's have ways to get what they need, _monsieur_, be they French or American."

"If you are asking me if I invite prostitutes into my bed as many of the officers and men do, I can assure you that I do not. I do not wish to take a disease back to my innocent wife."

"That is so thoughtful of you, but what of your own needs? Surely, even your wife would not exact celibacy from you this far from home for so long?"

"Julie, I don't think this is a conversation we should be having. If you are feeling better would you not like to return downstairs and have dinner?"

"No. I wish for you to remain here with me," she stammered and looked down, squeezing his hand hard. "Do you not want to, Gilbert?" Julie looked up with pleading bright blue eyes and for the first time the young man saw lust in those eyes. It alarmed him. He withdrew his arm and his hand quickly from her and stood.

"Julie—"

"If you are worried about what General Washington would think, I believe that he would not mind. In fact, I think he rather expects it. Did he not mention…"

Lafayette didn't know what to say. His heart pumped wildly—he wanted to flee the room. "I-I do not believe he would appreciate a man taking advantage of you, not even I."

Julie smiled. "Taking advantage of me? I am inviting you into my bed, silly boy. What better way to relieve your recent tension and my sadness, Gilbert? What better way to forget about this hell you are living in for a short time? I assure you that I am disease-free." She chuckled. "Please, you don't intend to turn me down do you? Not one of those aides of General Washington's would turn me down."

"No, I dare say they would not."

The bold woman proceeded to loosen her stays and untie her shift. "Perhaps I need to give you a little preview of what I have to offer."

Lafayette froze. "Please, Julie, do not—"

She laughed brightly as the clothes opened revealing her breasts, her thin waist. "What say you now, Gilbert? Do you remember the softness, the pleasures of a woman? You have been apart from a woman too long, no?"

Lafayette turned his back and put his hand on the knob of the door. "Julie, I cannot."

"What?" she shrieked like a wounded child. "I feel terribly foolish and embarrassed. I thought you surely would want to—"

"I do not."

He heard her sobs.

"How awful to be humiliated so!" she cried. "Then leave."

"Will you not come down?"

"No! To sit and face you the rest of the afternoon knowing that you rejected me like a common harlot."

"I did not say that. I do not think less of you. You have just misread something in me. Please do not fear any rebuke."

"Oh, please, spare your pity. Just go!" Julie fell back on the bed with her face in the pillow and sobbed violently.

Lafayette left the room trembling. A startled group of servants waiting in the hall quickly moved aside to let him pass. He hurried downstairs and outside into the cold without his coat or hat. The guard at the front door eyed him with suspicion. The general walked into the breezeway and paced back and forth with his arms wrapped around his chest. It was freezing cold.

Hannah came out of the kitchen. "Mercy! General Lafayette, you startled me." She had a large basket on each arm. "I'm just takin' some food up to the carriage house for your friends."

"Thank you, Hannah. I shall watch your kitchen for you until you return."

Hannah's eyes scanned him with suspicion. "Suit yourself, young sir."

The general went in the kitchen and found himself alone with his thoughts. _"My God, what did she mean that General Washington wouldn't mind?" _He collapsed into Hannah's chair by the fire and tried to compose himself.

It wasn't long before he heard his name bellowed from without echoing in the breezeway. The kitchen door slammed open and brawny General Wayne filled the doorway. "Lafayette. What the devil are you doing in here?"

"Getting warm."

"I say man; I owe you my firstborn for what you did this morning. Those rapscallions will not get away with this. I shall ride and bring their sorry hides back by sundown! They'll be dangling from halters by dawn."

Lafayette turned back to the fire.

"Something is wrong. Did those rogues hurt you my dear boy? Why if they so much as—"

"_Non_, Anthony, your men are only desperate with hunger. I need to ask a favor of you."

"Name it my friend."

"You have an aide-de-camp, a Captain Slake in the First Pennsylvania."

"Aye. What of him?"

"One of my agents needs to interrogate him about the desertions and mutiny of December."

"Certainly, but may I ask to what it pertains?"

"It concerns a threat to General Washington's life."

"I see. Then by all means. Consider him your man. Gilbert, you seem troubled. Are you well?"

"I am well, _mon ami_." Lafayette turned to see Wayne eyeing him suspiciously. The swarthy American's fine chiseled features were set like stone; his brown eyes though softened by genuine concern were unblinking. He did not believe. The Frenchman dropped his head. "Anthony, I could curse you for telling me all those lies about Julie Keating."

"Lies? My dear Gilbert, I never lied to you. I told you the absolute truth." The Pennsylvanian removed his hat and scratched his dark head. "What exactly did I say?"

"Why? Why did you have to tell me all of that?"

"I have no answer to proffer. Whiskey loosened the feeble grip I have upon my tongue and my conscious no doubt. What is troubling you?"

"She is trying to seduce me."

Wayne's robust laugh set the crockery to rattling in the pantry. "Well of course she is my handsome gallant young nobleman. Do you not know that women faint in your presence? Have you not noticed? She is a young vivacious healthy woman. The queen of America's elite. What do you expect?"

"I guess I expect a married woman to avoid adultery in the house of her adopted father."

"Ah…is it a religious thing or the presence of the commander that bothers you?"

"_Non._ I don't know what is bothering me." Lafayette took a long deep breath and exhaled slowly. He stared up at the ceiling. There were plucked naked chickens hanging there—probably Hannah's intended dinner. The sight almost turned his stomach.

Wayne walked over and laid his large hand on the young man's shoulder. "I agree—this is the wrong place for such a tryst. I have the perfect solution. You are welcome to take her to my quarters. It will be empty this afternoon, you and she—"

"_Mon Dieu_, Anthony!" Lafayette exclaimed.

The older man wrinkled his brow. "I didn't mean to offend. I was only trying to be helpful. I thought your problem was the location not the deed itself."

"Never mind. See to your errant men. They have been demoralized by your constant absence!" The words came out angrier and with more accusation then the young commander intended.

Wayne clicked his heels as he stood at attention. "Yes, sir, your royal, regal, imperial, majestic Major General Marquis de Lafayette! Pardon this common tanner for trying to be your friend. How forward of me."

Wayne tramped to the door and opened it angrily, but stopped. He took a deep breath and turned back to face the Frenchman. "My dear Gilbert, though you have torn the heart from my chest, I shall forgive your ungenerous assessment of my conduct. You are clearly upset and are unaware that I have been spending every moment of my time writing letters imploring the Pennsylvania state government to feed and clothe my men. I have warned the Romans repeatedly that mutiny and a stampede of the wronged upon the innocent of the land would be the reward for their neglect. Just remember this, ten years ago, you were but a lad of ten when I was an experienced man of twenty-three. It is unwise to be so quick to ignore the advice of your elders. You may find an empty pantry when you are hungry for such advice in the future." Wayne turned on the toe of his boot and marched out with his scabbard and spurs jingling. He slammed the kitchen door shut behind him knocking pots and chickens off their hooks.

_Mon Dieu. Mon Dieu. What would you have me do, my dearest Adrienne_?

Hannah returned and General Lafayette went back into the house. He had to talk to his commander; the one man that he completely understood and that understood him. He dragged himself towards the office. At the closed door, he took a moment to gather his courage, and then entered only to find General Washington standing at the fireplace with a glass of wine in his hand and Julie beside him. Her face was swollen and flushed from crying. The older man turned a weary glance at the young Frenchman.

"Marquis," Washington said, "I was about to come looking for you. You have a way of disappearing these days at the most inopportune times."

"Sir?"

"Never mind. Come in please. Would you like a glass of wine?"

"No thank you, sir."

"What? Is the thought of the men with no wine keeping you from enjoying it?"

"No, sir. Your Excellency, I need to speak with you about something that greatly concerns me."

"Really? I was about to say that to you, but please, state your trouble, Marquis. I can see that you are upset."

"I will leave you two alone," Julie said. She scurried across the room and out the door without raising her eyes to meet Lafayette's.

The Frenchman shut the door behind her and approached the fireplace. "Sir, I had an encounter with Mrs. Keating that I feel was inappropriate."

Washington raised his brow causing deep furrows to form on his forehead. "Indeed?"

Lafayette licked his dry lips. He struggled to maintain eye contact with his commander. "Sir, she propositioned me upstairs just awhile ago."

Washington chuckled. "Well that's a nice way of putting it I suppose, but a bit odd."

"She told you?"

"Gilbert, you are making more of it than is required."

"Sir? I-I don't understand."

"Oh yes, well it must be the cultural differences of our two countries. Just let it go, son."

"Am I to understand that you don't care that this occurred?"

"Yes. That is correct."

Lafayette was stunned into silence. His thoughts returned to the days after his marriage to Adrienne de Noailles when his father-in-law urged him to find a mistress, as he was not going to be allowed to sleep with his wife for quite some time. Could he still be the awkward naïve boy that doesn't comprehend! "Sir, please, I believe I don't understand what you want of me where Mrs. Keating is concerned. What exactly are you asking of me?"

Washington threw his head back and stared at the ceiling. "My boy, what exactly is your purpose with her? If you don't know, how do you expect me to tell you how to proceed? I don't believe it is my business to be discussing it with you."

"Oh, I-I see, sir." The boy general felt his citadels crumbling around him. "I shall not be troubling you further then," Lafayette stammered. "May I have your leave, sir? I have some business that requires my attention."

"Of course. I will not bother to ask you to return for dinner because I do not wish to be disappointed. General Greene will be joining us. I will be having a meeting after dinner with him and deputy commissioner Blaine. I am going to demand a plan from Blaine as to how he intends to feed this army. We cannot go on like this. It will all turn to mutiny."

"Yes, sir. I wish you _bon chance_."

* * *

Lafayette left Washington's office even more confused than when he had entered. He donned his greatcoat and hurried outside intending to find Slake and arrange his meeting with Jeremy Larkin. His hatless head was down as he struggled through the shin-deep snow and the strong wind. He plowed into what felt like a horse but looked up to see an angry General Greene glowering at him with a firm hand on his tricorn hat threatening to blow off.

"General Greene, please forgive me, sir."

"I can forgive you that, but the continued absence of your reports is becoming quite exasperating."

"My aide is working on it, sir."

"The last time I saw Sergeant Boggs, he was rounding up deserters and mutineers."

"General Wayne is here to relieve him of that duty, sir. Sergeant Boggs will return to the paperwork. I will see to it."

"Humph! I need you to act as major general of the day the rest of the week. Seems that's all I can do with you as General Washington insists on keeping you at headquarters."

"Of course, sir. I would be pleased to do so."

"Just make sure you do it, General." Greene stomped off towards headquarters.

Lafayette looked about. He saw Captain Larkin at the door of the stable. The captain saluted him and returned into the building. The general continued on his route to his cabin and Slake.

* * *

The huge doors of the carriage house swung open to reveal Sergeant Boggs' muscular silhouette against the yellow glow of morning light. "Jeremy. The general wants you to come to his cabin. Slake has been prepared for your interrogation."

The captain grinned. "You mean he has food in his belly?"

"Exactly," the sergeant said with a smile.

At Lafayette's cabin, Jeremy found Slake devouring a plate of hot food. The general was pacing the cabin with his hands clasped behind his back. When Jeremy entered, Lafayette looked up but continued to pace. The general seemed distracted, troubled.

"Captain Slake, this is Captain Larkin. He is here to question you about some men that deserted and mutinied from your regiment last month."

Slake stopped chewing. Dangling his fork between two fingers, he grinned and looked slyly at the newcomer. "How-do-you-do? I suppose you think my regiment is a sorry lot after all you've heard and seen. I assure you it has not always been so."

"I'm sure he knows that, Captain," the general said impatiently.

Jeremy walked around and sat down across from Slake, his back to the fire. He wondered how the general could allow this lice-ridden unshaven filthy foul-smelling being into his cabin then he realized he only noticed because he himself had a bath in a tub in this very cabin the night before. How quickly one's perspective could change. "Captain Slake, I'm sure you've heard that there is a threat to General Washington's life? An assassin in this very camp is plotting his death."

Slake swallowed and looked cautiously at General Lafayette then back to Jeremy. "Aye, I've heard o' that. What's it to do with me?"

"You are not a suspect, Captain," Jeremy said.

The company commander raised his eyebrows and blew out a puff of air. "That's good to know. So how can I help you?"

"Did you know the men well that were among the deserters last month? Two of them came from Valley Forge—the village?" Jeremy asked.

"I knew them well enough. There was a Todd Hemphill and a Charlie Kent. Couple of no-goods. They were both using dead men's names on their muster papers. They didn't like to work. Thought the army was a ticket to a free meal." Slake laughed. "Imagine that?"

"Did you know if they had relations in the village?"

"Ah…they may have told me something about their families. I don't rightly recall."

"It's very important that you recall," Jeremy said.

"I can only tell you what I know. Kent's father was a miller—burned out by the British. That's where all our supplies went that were supposed to be here when we arrived."

Jeremy glanced at General Lafayette, who nodded.

"In fact," Slake said, "the British burnt the whole village, the forge, everything. That's where our ammo and cannon were coming from."

"What about the other man, Hemphill?" Jeremy asked.

"He was a no-account bastard son of some laborer in the village. Product of a rape I heard later. I'd just as soon not speak of him. The father came around crying and shouting at me that his boy had done no wrong. He wanted me to believe 'twas someone else that deserted and framed his shameful offspring."

"What did you tell him?"

"I didn't tell him anything. His boy was already dead, shot in the head for desertion. There wasn't anything I could do for him."

"What was his name?"

"I don't know. He didn't tell me his name. He was a big strong feller. He near kilt me before my men pulled him off. I thought I was wrestling a bear."

Jeremy looked up exasperated at the general. "Sir, we have to know that man's name. He has to be the one."

"I see where your reasoning is taking you, Jeremy," Lafayette said. "Captain Slake, you would know the man if you saw him would you not?"

"Aye, sir. I will never forget that face."

"Take him to headquarters. Bring the servants together, sir," Jeremy said.

"All right. I suppose that can be arranged. It will have to wait until tomorrow though, I can not disturb that household any more today."

Jeremy frowned. The general was unusually dodgy, averting his eyes. He did not appear to be the same man that had just squelched a mutiny. "Is something wrong, sir?"

"Nothing of great purport."

* * *

Super was cold and uneventful that evening. Lafayette attended, but seemed very uncomfortable and withdrawn. Elizabeth noticed that Julie averted her eyes from his several times and never said a direct word to him. Elizabeth hoped that Mrs. Keating was coming to her senses and giving up her pursuit of his attentions.

"Sir, I believe I will retire early tonight," Lafayette said. "I am feeling rather fatigued."

Washington nodded but said nothing.

After Lafayette left the room, General Washington said, "Ladies, I shall have to leave you to your own entertainments this evening as well. I have some very important letters to write."

"Of course, General," Julie said. "Please don't let my presence keep you from your duties."

General Washington left leaving Elizabeth alone with Julie. The fire was only glowing embers, barely enough to heat the small area before the hearth. Elizabeth shivered at the thought of the hideous rubbish man coming to take the ashes in the morning. She had grown frightened of the servants and worried if she had betrayed her fear to them.

"This was a very difficult day," Julie said.

"Yes indeed," Elizabeth said.

"I couldn't help noticing the attention the marquis gave you when he returned from that mutiny."

"Oh? I thought you were in your room."

"I saw from the window. I was about to come down, but I stopped when I saw him embrace you."

"I'm sorry, Julie. You needn't have."

"You have some friends here, no? He was concerned for them?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Aye, madam."

"I see. You do not want to tell me anything about it. That is quite all right."

"There is nothing to tell, really."

"I heard him mention the name, Jeremy. Is that your beau?"

Elizabeth wrestled with the question. She did not know how much to say. "Yes. It is. He's a captain in that regiment that mutinied. That is why I was concerned. That is why General Lafayette was reassuring me that he was well."

"Oh, of course." Julie seemed relieved. She grinned. "Elizabeth, for a little while I thought the marquis cared for you as a lover. I was prepared to confront you as a liar for cozening me with your concern about his being married." She waved her hand then reached for her handkerchief at the cuff of her laced sleeve and dabbed her eyes.

Elizabeth gasped at the very thought of such an accusation—or rumor. "Julie—Mrs. Keating, I never—"

"No, no, please. Do not be disturbed. It was only my silly mind. It goes where it shouldn't. I was just in a state of shock."

"Of course. 'Twas a very upsetting afternoon for everyone."

Mrs. Keating picked up a leather-bound book from the side table adjacent to her chair and opened it to read, but her lips were quivering as if she were about to cry. Elizabeth thought she needed to be alone.

"I shall retire," Elizabeth said. "I'm sure we shall all feel better in the morning. It appears that the storm has passed. Perhaps we shall have blue skies and birds again."

The wealthy woman looked up and smiled. "I do hope so. Good night my dear Elizabeth—my sister. Sweet dreams. I promise to be free of my bad humors by morning regardless of the weather."

"Good night, Julie."

Elizabeth left and returned to her room. She saw no light under General Lafayette's door, but the light was there under Washington's door. She prepared for bed finding the fireplace filled with fresh lit kindling and logs. Who had done that? She was becoming nervous about the servants freedom in the house especially after overhearing Lafayette tell Hamilton about the intruder. She poked the fire and jumped under the big quilt and blanket on her bed. The house was very quiet as the wind had calmed. She fell asleep to the hypnotic sound of the tramping guards outside.

* * *

A dark form squatted in the shadows under the stair on the ground floor of Washington's headquarters. Anyone passing in the hall would have thought it merely a sack of laundry or flour forgotten. The girl, Elizabeth, had passed and gone upstairs without noticing.

He was elated to see a light still emanating from Washington's office. Rising only slightly and keeping his head low to avoid bumping the stair, he approached the doorway on all fours. Padding into the room expecting to see the general at his desk, he was alarmed to find a woman—a very well-dressed lady with red hair that glistened like fine gold threads in the candlelight. It was the general's special guest. She was writing furiously and had not noticed she had company.

He stood up to his full height and watched the woman for a long while. She was not in his plan, which threw his mind in a panic. He decided to eliminate her—remove her troubling presence by dragging her unconscious into the woods and breaking her neck.

At that moment, she turned her head giving him a clear view of a visage he had not before contemplated directly.

_Oh, what a beautiful face?_ _A fairytale princess._

Startled, she opened her mouth to scream but no sound came forth.

An opportunity presented itself to the dark mind and he acted upon it.

* * *

Elizabeth awoke anxious that she had heard a strange noise. She lay with her eyes open in the dark and listened but heard nothing more. It was a door—the downstairs door. It worried her. She arose, wrapped her large shawl about her, and quietly opened the door a crack to peek. The moon was lighting the stairway from an overhead window. She tiptoed to the stair and descended trying to minimize the squeak of the wood treads. When she reached the landing, she could see a flickering glow coming from General Washington's office. She relaxed thinking he was probably working late, or was it early? She had no idea what time it was. A rustle of papers broke the silence.

Deciding to make sure, Elizabeth descended to the entry hall. When she peeked around the open office door, she was shocked to see Julie sitting at the General's desk. She was still dressed having never come upstairs to bed. The fire at the end of the room danced with flames.

Elizabeth stood to the side of the door in the dark and watched. Julie finished what she was writing then she took a rolled map, flattened it, and placed a new piece of parchment over it. She began to trace the map! Elizabeth felt a tingle run down her spine. Julie was tracing one of Washington's maps. The teenager was growing fatigued from standing stiff in the cold hallway. She moved her weight from one barefoot to the other to keep her legs awake and continued to watch even though her eyelids were drooping. She watched for over an hour while Julie copied various correspondences and traced maps.

When the pink light of dawn appeared outside the windows, Elizabeth moved away and back upstairs to her room. She slipped back into bed. It wasn't long after she lay down that the door quietly opened and Julie entered. Elizabeth watched pretending to sleep as Julie placed three packets of folded and ribboned packets into her small toiletry bag. Julie undressed quietly.

Elizabeth heard the splash of the water in the washbowl. Julie washed herself then climbed into bed. The sound of soft murmuring and stifled sobs followed then silence.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

At dawn, Colonel Hamilton stood outside the kitchen overseeing the delivery of baskets and crates of food. It was the much-anticipated arrival of provisions from the Keating estate. Hannah, the cook, was busy inventorying on her long boney fingers what she had. She sent much of it to the cellar. When she caught a glimpse of the colonel in the doorway, she averted her eyes making him suspicious. After the soldiers left, Hamilton tarried behind, slicing himself a thick piece of fresh bread that lay on the table.

"Hannah is there something you want to tell me?" he asked as he chewed.

"Why no sir, Colonel Hamilton. I has no business talkin' to you."

"You are happy to receive this food aren't you?"

"Of course, sir." Hannah turned her back and stirred her bubbling stew in a suspended black kettle at the big fireplace.

"Come now, Hannah, I know when you're troubled. You can't hide it from me."

"Are you askin' me to talk, Colonel Hamilton? Because if you is, I might be allowed to share a concern I have with you if you give me permission."

"Speak, Hannah."

The cook turned slowly but kept her eyes to the floor. Her normally smooth forehead was furrowed; her normally pleasantly bemused ebony countenance worried. "Sir, you know I ain't want to gossip in a hurtful way, but I seen and heard somethin's yesterday that has me deeply concerned for the young marquis." She hesitated in silence; shyly looking up to see the effect of her words.

"Go on."

"It seems all the servants were kept from their daily tasks yesterday by a closed door upon the bedchamber o' Mrs. Keating. They couldn't help hearin' the heated conversation goin' on behind that door."

"Oh, I see." Hamilton considered stopping the slave woman from going any further but he had some concern in his own mind prompted by the recent oddly sorrowful and aloof behavior of his friend, Lafayette. He decided to let her continue.

"They overheard Mrs. Keating tryin' to seduce the young man and he refusin'."

"Well, that is not necessarily--"

"She tried to convince him that General Washington had ordained it. Like it was all his idea."

Hamilton was shocked. "His Excellency would never suggest such a thing. He considers Julie a guest and would certainly respect her marriage to his friend. What nonsense."

"I know that, sir. General Washington is not a man to condone adultery in his own house. That's just plain wrong. The next thing I knew, the marquis was down here all upset a-pacin' in the breezeway. I left him here, but on my return he and General Wayne was in the kitchen yellin' at each other like two dogs and General Wayne was doin' most o' the yellin'." Hannah folded her arms across her spare chest and stuck her chin up all knowing like as if the import of her words ought to be clear.

Hamilton was puzzled because Wayne and Lafayette were good friends, then he recalled that General Wayne had purportedly had an affair with Mrs. Keating. He had dismissed that rumor since the source had been from Wayne's own mouth, which was not to be trusted after the consumption of much liquor. If it were true though, it could spell big trouble.

"I understand your concern, Hannah."

"It's not my place to talk o' such things, Colonel. General Washington would be greatly displeased to know that I had but I hope you can see the reason o' it? I'm thinkin' that if the young marquis has any friends they should be lookin' out for him and not be lettin' that 'she-cat' be a-lyin' and a-weedlin' her way into his affections. Those servants are goin' to spread what they heard all over this camp. There ain't nothin' I can do to stop 'em."

Hamilton chuckled. "She's a 'she-cat' is she, Hannah?"

Hannah placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "I reckon that ain't proper for me to say." The slave looked off and thought for a moment. "Colonel Hamilton, are you familiar with the Wisteria vine that grows wild in the south?"

"I've seen it. It is quite beautiful."

"Aye. It carries flowers that please the eye, but it chokes and destroys the thing it entwines--even mighty stone towers crumble under it." She turned narrowed black eyes upon the young man.

"Yes, of course. I believe I see your reasoning Hannah and you were right to share it with me."

* * *

The snow had let up for a day bringing sunshine, blue skies and the sharp melody of birds. After a hurried breakfast, Colonel Hamilton busied himself at trying to reduce the pile of paper on his desk in the front room of Washington's headquarters. Colonel Laurens, his best friend of late, was sitting quietly opposite him scribbling at a similar makeshift beat-up desk. By the rate the feather on his quill pen was moving, it had to be a heated correspondence of great purport.

Hamilton heard the heavy boots of a courier running past in the hall. He chose to ignore it.

"I say Laurens, what you are going at there?"

The darkly handsome young southerner looked up and frowned. "A letter to my father."

"Ah. I thought it a proposal to a lady friend for a moment."

Laurens once again looked up puzzled, perplexed at Hamilton's interruption. "If you must know, nosy Jack, I am telling my father of the news we have heard of late of Gates and his weasel of an aide Wilkinson. My father needs to hear from these parts as to the truth of the matter. Gates and his cronies will not get away with their attempt to replace Washington."

Hamilton smiled. "Aye. Wilky the Weasel, indeed. He is hereby officially christened. You have the ear of your father the president of the Congress. What better way to get Washington's true nature and purpose across. Tell him you and I agree on that matter. There's another matter closer to home I've been meaning to ask your opinion."

Laurens stopped writing.

"What do you make of this Julie Keating?"

"Make of her? She's a beautiful wealthy woman. The wealthiest woman in America, I've heard."

"Aye. Have you noticed how she looks at our dear friend, Lafayette, with those big blue eyes filled with love and devotion?" Hamilton asked.

"I have noticed. Are you jealous?"

"Of course, but that is not my concern. Lafayette seemed unusually distant and sad yesterday evening. Did you not notice?"

"Aye. I noticed. What of it?"

"I think there is something between the two of them."

Laurens looked up, his thick dark brows raised in surprise. "You don't suppose, they would actually…not in his Excellency's very house?" Laurens laughed gaily. "Well, vive Lafayette!"

"Shhhh….keep your voice down. The cook thinks so. She told me this morning after I delivered the items from the Keating estate. Hannah says the 'she-cat' has her claws in the young general. She thought his friends, meaning you and I, should be looking out for him."

Laurens laughed. "The cook says a lot of things that are nothing but nonsense."

"No. No. The servants shared with her words overheard between Julie and Lafayette behind a closed bedchamber door yesterday morning after we returned from the mutiny. It is troubling and no doubt will be spread via the servants all over camp. The cook overheard an angry exchange between Wayne and the Frenchman in the kitchen later. A right bloody row it was. Everyone knows Wayne had an affair with Mrs. Keating."

Laurens shook his head. "Alex, you better leave that alone. If our friend has found himself a playmate for this cold dreary encampment, than I can only congratulate him and wish the same for you and I. General Wayne understandably feels the jilted lover. He'll get over it. He would never challenge…at least I don't think so…would he?" Laurens had talked himself into a panic and was staring wide-eyed at his companion.

"Wayne is just temperamental enough to challenge--"

"Lafayette is just sensitive enough in regards to his precious reputation to accept," replied Laurens in despair. "My God, they'll kill each other."

"Alex!" a familiar voice yelled from the back room.

Hamilton jumped up and walked out into the entry hall and into his commander's office. He found Washington scowling and staring at a dispatch. The courier stood by staring at the floor.

"Yes, sir?"

"Jefferson has arrived at the outer redoubt and it appears he has the indomitable Patrick Henry with him. How like the politicians to gang-up on me. Be prepared to greet them at the door. Call out the guard. Governor Henry shall have his ruffles. Where is Lafayette?"

"Upstairs I believe, writing letters."

"Ah, of course, please retrieve him. Is Julie and Elizabeth in the house?"

"They are in the kitchen."

"Retrieve them as well."

"Right away, sir."

Hamilton ushered the courier out and closed the door behind him. He turned towards the stair, but stuck his head in the doorway of the front room and murmured to Laurens, "How is it I am to retrieve the whole world with only two legs and one voice?"

Laurens chuckled. "I will get the ladies."

"Of course you will, you gallant traitor."

Hamilton bolted up the small wood staircase that led to the bedchambers. He knocked on Lafayette's door. "General, we have guests. General Washington has asked that you attend."

"I will be right there, Alexander, thank you."

The haggard aide turned and ran down the stairs and out the door. He yelled towards the guards cabins. "Gibbs! Present arms on the double! A governor's ruffles if you please!"

The guards poured from their cabins and quickly aligned themselves perpendicular to the house along the path from the road. The American flag fluttered and flapped where it stood beside the path. It was always present when the commander was in residence.

The young colonel straightened his own uniform and looked himself over. He bent down and rubbed a spot of mud from his shiny black boot just as he heard the rumble of the carriage approaching from the south. When the black mud-splashed conveyance stopped before him, he opened the door upon two distinguished Virginians. "Sirs, welcome to headquarters."

Jefferson's long legs were the first item to exit the carriage followed by his wavy red-haired head. He towered over the young colonel. "Mr. Hamilton, we are most pleased to finally be here. The roads are deplorable from here to York. We were on our way home to Williamsburg and thought we would stop and greet our fellow Virginian."

"Yes, sir. You are expected. At least we are having a pleasant day here. That should give you some relief."

"Yes, yes of course. Come along Patrick."

The older man grumbled and clumsily stepped out of the conveyance into a soft spot of mud. He glowered at Hamilton. "Can't you do something about this? Where is Washington? He better be here."

The man in question just then stepped from the front door of the house. "Well Governor Patrick Henry, what a pleasant surprise to see you, sir."

The governor grumbled.

Captain Gibbs commanded, "Present arms!" A ratt-a-tatt-tatt of drums split the air with a merciless racket that continued for sometime--much past the time everyone thought it surely would stop. Governor Henry turned and eyed the captain of the guard with disdain.

When the flourish of drums saluting the dignitaries finally ended, Washington strode to the two visitors and offered his hand to Henry and then Jefferson. "Welcome to my humble home, gentlemen."

"Thank you for my renewed headache, General Washington," snarled Governor Henry.

"It is our customary salute to dignitaries, sir. The same one they give me. Please come inside. Alex, see to their baggage. They shall be staying with General Greene this evening."

"Yes, sir." Hamilton sent the driver along with directions to General Greene's quarters then he hurried back inside. He missed the introductions.

"Well, Mr. Washington," Jefferson said smiling, "this is a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to lay my eyes on such splendidly beautiful young ladies in the army's winter quarters."

The ladies giggled and glanced at each other.

"Mr. Henry," Jefferson said, "you have to admit to spend an evening in the company of such beauty was well worth the difficulties of getting here."

"Humph," growled Patrick Henry. "I suppose. Do you adopt every young waif that graces your door, Washington?"

The commander chuckled. "The daughters and wives of old friends."

"I'd say you have a lot of old friends."

"Perhaps that's because I'm an old man like you."

Mr. Henry sniffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

Mr. Jefferson offered his hand to Lafayette. "It is good to see you again, Marquis. I trust this _old man_ is treating you well?"

The Frenchman smiled graciously and shook the offered hand. "Quite well, sir."

"I should think so when you have a pretty young lady on each arm," Jefferson quipped with the wink of an eye.

Jefferson asked General Washington some particulars regarding the camp and asked that he might have a tour, then the two tall Virginians began a discussion of their homeland-- Virginia, the tobacco crops, the weather, the health of this and that acquaintance.

Hamilton sighed. He and Laurens were standing behind Lafayette waiting for orders.

"Laurens," Hamilton said loud enough for Lafayette to hear him under the continued boisterous talk of Jefferson and Washington, "I feel like I just shrank to minutia. I'm a character in a Jonathan Swift novel. What say ye?

"I know the feeling, Hamilton."

"What are we to do? There will be no joy in Lilliput this winter if we don't tie down this improbably handsome giant right away."

"It's a problem of immense proportions, indeed. I say, we must put a bag over his head at once. That way his charming good looks can not sway the opposite sex so easily."

Lafayette turned his head and peered with narrowed eyes at the two colonels conspiring behind his back. His smirk told them, he heard their banter but he would not be drawn into it.

Hamilton sighed. "He is all major general today."

"Yes, indeed. Shall we retire to the sutlers' and spend all our wages on a bottle of whiskey?"

"Sounds like a merryplan to me. Lets away."

The colonels turned and left out the back door of the house unnoticed as everyone's attention was on Julie at that moment as she was laughing gaily at one of Jefferson's jokes.

* * *

Julie loaned a gown to Elizabeth and helped her dress before dinner. Elizabeth, a naïve young farm girl, was giddy with apprehension. The idea of dining with such famous men as Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry made her head spin. She was only just becoming accustomed to being in the presence daily of Generals Washington and Lafayette. The borrowed maid was basting a hem in the dress to shorten it to Elizabeth's height as Julie worked on making her hair more fashionable. There were hot clay curlers in her side locks that burned her cheeks if she moved.

"Oh Elizabeth, isn't this exciting?" Julie said. "Yesterday's disorder has flown from my mind. The dinner will be wonderful with the vegetables from my estate and the puddings and pies Hannah has made. A fine southern spread to feast ones eyes upon and one's palette. General Washington is so lucky I am here. I have a talent for it you know. No one else could do it justice."

"Yes, of course," Elizabeth said thinking Julie certainly could never be accused of being humble, but Mrs. Washington would probably have a difference of opinion with her in regards to her 'talents'. "It's wonderful, but I have no idea what to say to those men."

"Oh, don't worry. It is always best to let the men carry the conversation and just answer their questions. They prefer to listen to themselves," she said with a little titter.

There was a knock at the door, just as the maid finished and scrambled up off her knees. It was Billy summoning them to dinner.

Julie removed the curlers, arranged and pulled on the tight curls then took one last look at Elizabeth as if she was her own creation. She than turned to the mirror and took another look at herself. "Shall we join the men, Elizabeth?"

"Yes, let's do," Elizabeth said with a faint voice.

The two young women glided down the stairs as "the men" watched with admiration from the hall below. General Lafayette stepped up to take Elizabeth's arm and escorted her to the dining room. General Washington did the same with Julie. The guests followed.

The table was larger than Elizabeth had seen it during her stay and it was full of every kind of meat, vegetable, bread, cake and hors-d'oeuvre. The colorful sight made her mouth water.

After everyone was seated, Billy carved and served the meats, then the bowls of sweet potatoes, green peas and carrots were passed around. Piping hot sweet cornbread was passed as well.

"George, what a wonderful feast you have laid for us," Mr. Jefferson said.

"Mrs. Keating was kind enough to have much of what you see brought from her nearby estate. You know Rutherford Keating do you not?"

"Of course. He is helping us find money. The man can milk it from a rock."

Julie chuckled. "He has a talent."

"I dare say Mrs. Keating has a talent for setting a fine table," Governor Henry said as he dug into his food. "This is not only beautiful but delicious."

"Oh, Governor Henry," Julie said, "really it was nothing, but I suppose since there was no one else here to do it, it was well that I could."

Julie was evidently complimenting herself on her modesty.

"So, Thomas, I hear you are going to be receiving our fine British guests from Saratoga," General Washington said.

"Yes indeed. They will have no cause for complaint in Virginia. They will be sequestered a mere six miles from my home. I plan to visit them often."

Governor Henry grumbled. "They should be thrown on a prison ship off of Yorktown if you ask me. No reason for them to get better treatment then our own unfortunate men."

"Now, Patrick, we have been over and over this point. You know that I am as disgusted as anyone with the treatment of our prisoners, but we must show the world what kind of republic we are and we are a republic who looks after the concerns of the individual be he a citizen or a captured enemy soldier. It is a question of natural honor and humanity."

"Natural honor my bunions," Henry grumbled.

Generals Washington and Lafayette looked at each other and chuckled.

"Are we too much in mixed company?" Mr. Jefferson asked with an innocent look.

"No, No, Thomas, please carry on," General Washington said. "Your concerns are our concerns."

"Oh please do continue, Mr. Jefferson," Julie said. "It is a thrill to hear even the smallest of debates between such marvelously brilliant men of our time." Julie threw a flirting glance toward the red-haired and freckled statesman.

Jefferson stood and raised his glass of port. "Your Excellency, I toast your health and the health of each and every one of your soldiers and officers be they in this camp or in captivity." He then turned to Julie and exclaimed, "and I toast the fair Mrs. Keating and her lovely meal." Everyone saluted his toast.

Elizabeth expected the man to sit down but he remained standing as if that was his customary position at dinner. "Rest assured," he said in a serious tone, "I have made myself clear in my remonstrations with the British command, that we hold their soldiers as pledges for the safety of our own in captivity. If they put our men in irons and deny them sustenance, we will most certainly repay them in kind. Please don't mistake my desire for republican virtues to be displayed by these two armies as reticence on my part."

"Thank you for that reassurance, Thomas," the commander said with a sigh.

Mr. Jefferson sat down.

"You are troubled, General Washington," Governor Henry said. "I can see weariness in your eyes. Is it this affair with Gates and Conway and Mifflin's corruption? I dare say it would have me ready to bust down the doors of congress and start shooting like a wild savage."

Washington smiled. "These troubles will pass Patrick. Rest assured. Deception hatched in the dark vacuum of jealous minds is always exposed by the light of truth. I have faith that the evil-doers will get their just deserts."

A fork clanged to the floor drawing everyone's attention to Julie who blushed. "How clumsy of me."

"Yes, I agree George," Mr. Jefferson added as he bent down and picked up Julie's fork with a smile. "Truth shall prevail." The tall Virginian hesitated for a moment regarding curiously the wealthy woman at his side that averted her eyes. "I fear our talk bores the ladies regardless of its eloquence. So Mrs. Keating, does your husband dabble in agriculture as I do?"

Julie smiled shyly, "No, Mr. Jefferson. His many businesses keep him away from the farm."

"Has he the land, though?"

"Yes. There are a small number of cattle and a small garden."

"That is a shame. I find my agricultural pursuits a balm to my nerves frayed by the politics of the day. I would have thought a landholder, even in Pennsylvania, would endeavor to make the best use of his land…"

"To feed an army, perchance, Monsieur Jefferson?" Lafayette asked.

"Why yes, and every kind of people when there is no war. Is that not the case in France, Marquis? Your many land holdings are profitable are they not?"

"_Oui_, thanks to those who came before me and those who manage it. I'm afraid my knowledge of it is limited to the taste of the wine produced from the vineyards."

Mr. Jefferson laughed. "There is yet time for you to find the pursuit of agricultural knowledge of interest, when you reach the age of General Washington or myself. One day I wish for you that you may put aside the study of war and pursue peacetime interests. I do envy you Frenchmen your grapes. We cannot grow them here but for the wild varieties."

"I can only hope to be as well versed in agriculture when I am older as you gentlemen."

The older gentlemen at the tabled chuckled.

"But I do find it disturbing to see so much land sitting idle around this camp," Lafayette said.

General Washington laid his hand on the young man's arm. "Marquis, Pennsylvania has a colder climate in winter than Virginia, or your native Auvergne, and the land about here is not that easy to farm."

"Of course, _mon Général_, I was thinking more along the lines of livestock. Herds of sheep, goats and _bétail."_

"I'm afraid, old William Penn is responsible for how the land fell in Pennsylvania, Marquis," Jefferson said. "He quartered it up and gave it to his children as wedding dowries and investments. He was not a man of agriculture--or sheep herding."

"Then he was a land speculator?"

"Yes, and a bit of a religious utopian. He had the right idea as an avid supporter of religious freedom which is readily apparent in this state today, but he was a miserable speculator as he failed to make a profit on the venture."

Lafayette shook his head. "I have seen many hardworking farmers in Pennsylvania. The German-speaking people especially, but the wealthy seem to acquire land for summer houses and something to look at from their summer houses…"

Governor Henry laughed. "It is a pity, young man. If these Pennsylvanians were more industrious I believe you would be sending them daily letters asking for provisions for your men instead of me."

Washington's weary glance at Lafayette indicated he was unaware of the frequency of the young Frenchman's contact with the governor of Virginia. "General Lafayette is filled with enthusiasm for his new Virginia command," Washington said, "and he is persistent where his men are concerned."

"Then he is a lot like Patrick Henry," Jefferson quipped.

Mr. Henry laughed. "It is my mouth that doesn't give up, Mr. Jefferson. It is your pen that matches young Lafayette's." The politicians fell to laughing.

Elizabeth noticed that Julie had grown despondent. She was staring at her plate, and poking at her food. Washington was watching her as well. Elizabeth saw the commander catch Lafayette's eye and grimace. Washington evidently thought that the Frenchman was responsible for that trollop's mood. So now, this generous _volunteer_ was to be corrected at the dinner table in front of guests? Elizabeth felt her face redden with the rise in anger up her spine.

"General Lafayette," Washington said, "you surely don't mean to be chastising the wealthy Pennsylvania's that have just a night ago given from their purses so generously at Mrs. Keating's home?"

"No, my dearest commander, of course not. I am just frustrated with the many Americans that have turned their backs on this army and refused to feed and clothe these brave men. If the people would only turn their attentions to finding ways to support the army, it would be less of a burden for all. Instead they send their representatives to congress to squabble over little nothings, while the soldiers die daily for want of food, clothing and medicine."

"Son," Washington said firmly, "everyone here understands the seriousness of the situation."

"Of course, Marquis," Mr. Jefferson said. "This is a republic, though, and the people rule. Sometimes it leads to squabbles as you say, but it also leads to the truth and the rule of law for the many instead of the tyranny of the few."

"Is feeding an army that is defending your country from an invader, tyranny? The farmers are hiding their wagons and stock from us because the congress has fixed the price we pay for these items in worthless Continental money while the British are paying hard cash. We can not bring food to this camp without wagons and teams to pull them."

General Lafayette was growing upset and Elizabeth feared the worst for him--

"General Lafayette!" Washington said, "I believe that is enough on the matter. Our guests do not need to be berated at the dinner table over matters that they clearly have no power over."

Lafayette turned to his commander, his expression changed so suddenly to that of a hurt child that Elizabeth almost cried out in his defense. The young man collected himself quickly, though. "I am sorry, your Excellency, I had no intention of berating anyone. I'm afraid my emotions are just running high." He turned an innocent pale face upon the guests. "Please, I hope no one felt offended by my words. I met no offense or accusation against present company."

"No offense was taken, Marquis," Mr. Jefferson said. "Why Patrick and I spend most of our days in just such discussions. Nothing would please me more then to spend an evening discussing this topic or any other with such a bright and honest young man as yourself." The tall Virginian smiled as did the governor.

"Why, yes, Marquis," Governor Henry said, "I believe you are just what we the people and General Washington need around here. It's a good thing the congress managed--in a break from their squabbling--to note your distinguishing qualities when you presented yourself. You are a credit to your countrymen, sir."

Lafayette smiled and dropped his head. "I am flattered, Governor Henry and Mr. Jefferson for your kind words, but I am just a young man in search of a bit of glory on the battlefield. I am hardly one to speak of the congress or the people in such a profane manner. I do hope you will forgive my forwardness." He glanced shyly at Julie who was still chasing a green pea about her plate. Elizabeth wanted to kick her under the table.

"Thomas, have you brought your violin by chance?" General Washington asked.

Mr. Jefferson looked up surprised. "Why, no, George. Had I known you were going to have two beautiful women here to entertain, I most certainly would have done so. You must make an effort to keep your friends apprised of your living accommodations."

"I stand corrected. I will endeavor to improve on that score in the future. Julie had a beautiful voice as a young girl. I dare say, it has probably only grown finer with age. I've heard Elizabeth singing as well at a church service the first Sunday after she arrived. A most angelic and obviously trained voice. She drew much acclaim from the officers of my staff."

"General Washington," Elizabeth said in surprise. "I had no idea you were listening."

The general smiled.

Julie looked up demurely. "I love to sing and accompany myself on the clavichord. I have received much acclaim among Mr. Keating's many patrons and friends."

"How lovely," Washington said. "Unfortunately, we don't have one of those either. We shall just have to imagine what a charming evening we might have had if not for want of musical instruments."

Everyone laughed.

"Julie," Washington said, "would you step out and see that the coffee is ready to be served? I believe the servants have fallen asleep."

The hostess perked up. "Oh, of course, sir. I was having such a good time, I forgot my purpose here."

The gentlemen stood. Mr. Jefferson helped Julie from her chair, watching her graceful exit from the room.

"An exquisite young woman, George. You knew her as a child?"

"Yes. I suppose you would not remember her father, Edmund Rochester?"

The tall Virginian shook his red head and sat back down.

"I remember him," Governor Henry said. "Killed in a fall from a horse wasn't he? A factor, as I recall." The governor squinted at Washington. "His death made her the sole heir to an enormous quantity of land and business interests on both sides of the Atlantic. You are the executor of that estate are you not, General Washington?"

"Yes." The commander cleared his throat. "Good, here comes the coffee now."

Julie re-entered followed by Billy with a tray laden with cups and a pot of coffee. General Washington carefully steered the discourse for the rest of the dinner to lighter topics.

When Billy cleared the plates away, Elizabeth noticed that General Lafayette had hardly touched his food, though he behaved very graciously towards the guests and joined in the conversation. Elizabeth knew something was terribly wrong, though. It worried her so much she had trouble keeping up with the fast-paced conversation swirling around her.

After dinner, which rolled into supper with only a change of the tablecloth, Washington excused himself to speak privately with General Lafayette in the front room. Elizabeth went outside on the front stoop. She felt faint and knew it was the tight stays and the crowded room in the closed up house. The air was refreshing, though chilly. A late afternoon's deep blue sky brightened the dreary quiet camp. She heard Washington's voice booming through a cracked window.

"You were fanning the flames of discontent between the Pennsylvanians and Virginians!" the commander's angry voice exclaimed. "You've given those politicians ammunition--an excuse for their inaction. They can now blame it all on the wealthy Pennsylvanias! Believe me Marquis, I know a great deal about what I say; I've stepped in those traps, I've expressed my opinion on those very matters regarding the New Englanders early in the war but I soon learned better. We, the army, must be neutral and represent _all_ of the states or we risk alienating and frightening some part of them. Do you not realize that Julie is one of the Americans you were denigrating? My God, Marquis, the very thing that so many Americans love about you is that you are not southern or northern or from Pennsylvania or Maine. Do you not understand what I am saying?"

Elizabeth wanted to run and find someone to come and defend _her_ general. She knew he deserved no reprimand, not even the mildest scolding for his behavior. Julie Keating on the other hand needed a firm spanking. Elizabeth found herself crying. She wanted to run to her friends and tell them what she knew, but could not.

"Elizabeth?"

The troubled girl turned to see Jeremy Larkin standing in the archway that led to the kitchen.

"Jeremy, what are you doing here?" she whispered.

"Checking on my girl. You are crying. What's wrong?"

"Can you not hear? General Washington is yelling at General Lafayette for something he said at dinner."

"Oh. It's probably not that uncommon for Washington and Lafayette to have a heated disagreement. They feel things deeply and have serious issues to debate. Don't worry about it."

Elizabeth picked up her borrowed petticoats and scurried down the steps to hasten to Jeremy's side. "I think this is different, Jeremy. Julie is the cause of it. She is purposely getting Lafayette in trouble with the commander. Everything she does is calculated. I despise her."

Jeremy reached his hand up and twirled one of Elizabeth's side curls about his finger obviously amused and pleased with her new look. He put his arm around her and Elizabeth suddenly realized she was trembling. "I'm sorry, Jeremy. I suppose you think I'm being too emotional, but if you had to sit by and watch this going on, I'm sure you would be equally as mad as I."

"I'm sure I would. We can do little about that, though. I'm concerned about you revealing your true purpose here. You mustn't let Julie see your discomfort and anger. She would think it odd and unseemly for you to be that concerned with Lafayette."

A guard walked by and eyed the young couple but said nothing.

"Of course. She has already accused me of being his lover. I came outside--to cool off." Elizabeth could hear the supper party. Jefferson and Henry were in some debate over wine, which probably meant the Madeira was being poured. "I have to go back inside, but there is something I must discuss with you as soon as possible. It concerns Mrs. Keating. I can't talk about it here. Meet me at the stables later after Mr. Jefferson and Governor Henry leave for Greene's quarters."

"Aye. Be strong."

* * *

Lafayette stood before his commander. Washington's angry words and expression left no doubt about it. The young Frenchman felt that his days of being General Washington's favorite adopted son were over. He had let his emotions get the better of him at dinner and disappointed the one man he most admired in the world. Would he now be relieved of his new command? Would he be sent home to France like an obstinate uncontrollable child?

"Do you have nothing to say for yourself, Marquis?" Washington asked after a spill of venomous words that contained not a few expressions that the Frenchman didn't know. He assumed they were profane in nature.

Lafayette ran his hand nervously through his hair. "Sir, I-I--" The young man stumbled with his English. It always happened when he was upset. He could not answer his commander. He merely dropped his eyes to the floor even though he knew that was the wrong response.

"My dear boy, I hate to see you grow discouraged, too. Has it come to this?"

The younger man looked up to find Washington's face had softened, his gray eyes were sad and tired.

"This infernal camp is consuming us all," Washington exclaimed. "Politicians cause my ire to rise like sap. Gilbert, I have taken my anger at them out on you. Please forgive me."

"Sir, please, I apology with all of my heart for any discomfort my rash words caused you. I will apologize to Mrs. Keating this evening. I just feel so useless in the face of this wretched shortage of provisions. I cannot look the privates in the eye anymore."

"Of course. I know that feeling, son. I share it with you."

"I've been thinking on the problem of getting wagons across the frozen river," Lafayette said timidly. "We are cutoff from any supplies that might come from the north. I know the bridge is planned, but it is taking so long. Maybe we should be building sleds or something that we can pull from the bank."

Washington looked surprised. "Sleds?"

"Sir, I am no engineer, but we have the brain power here to overcome this…perhaps we could build bateau and equip them with sleds that can be removed in the spring?"

Washington looked into the fire a moment. "Marquis, you may have something there. I so wish my generals would look for alternatives--take charge of this problem. We are so grossly stymied by that incompetent quartermaster's department and a congress that sees a standing army as a menace. I will mention it to General Greene." The commander took a deep breath and looked sternly at Lafayette. "I will also issue an order to have any farmer, man or woman, caught trading with the British, flogged. My spies have been telling me that the locals have turned traitorous in their desire for British gold. It is time to act upon it. Will you stay here in my absence? I wish to accompany Jefferson and Henry to Greene's residence."

"Of course, sir."

Washington gripped Lafayette's arms and looked into his eyes. "You are doing a fine job, my boy. Thank you for reminding me of our purpose here. I am sorry to have been so harsh with you over a trivial family matter."

As Washington returned to his guests, Hamilton and Laurens sauntered into the front room inebriated. Hamilton put his arm around Lafayette and said, "Gilbert, the commander was having a right bloody time of it. He has an awesome temper that one can just stand and admire, even as one's ears are being boxed, but we brothers must stick together. You can tell John and me everything, _mon ami_. What troubles you? What is this fissure between you and our dear commander?"

"Alexander isn't it a bit early to be tipping the whiskey bottle?" the general asked with a smile.

Hamilton straightened his shoulders and stood at his full height. "Perchance, but it is so rare that we can attain it…"

Lafayette laughed. "_Oui_, it is a rare for you to attain such a drunken state."

"You will not be telling on us will you, Gilbert?" asked a remorseful Laurens, his hat in his hands.

"Of course not, _mes frères_. You better stay out of General Washington's sight though and downwind. You both reek of liquor. I'm afraid things could go rough for you after my display of emotion at dinner. He could very well take his anger at me out on the two of you."

"Aye, thank you for the warning," Hamilton said, "but do you not want to talk to us? You've been troubled for two days. Do you think we don't notice these things? We have missed our late night debates. Tell us what is on your mind."

"I'm sorry Alexander. I don't mean to slight your generous offer of help. I can scarce afford to lose anymore friends and certainly not my dearest brothers-in-arms." The Frenchman put an arm over the shoulders of each man and squeezed. He kissed each friend on the cheek. "I treasure you both, but I must return to the supper table now or risk another reprimand. _Adieu_." Lafayette quickly departed.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Washington left by carriage to accompany Jefferson and Henry to Greene's headquarters. Julie asked to go with them much to Elizabeth's relief.

After their departure, Elizabeth heard a scuffle in the breezeway. She opened the door to find the baker and the butcher berating Hannah. They had her cornered. She was screaming, "But I do not have the money. Captain Gibbs forgot to give it to me this morning!"

"You are lying slave!" the butcher yelled. "I see the remains of a feast here. What is all of this you have served? We have an agreement with Gibbs to provide all of the bread and meat at headquarters!"

Billy rushed in and tried to protect Hannah, but the men threw the tall black violently to the ground.

They regarded Elizabeth with curious eyes. She shook her head. They turned from Hannah and approached her. "And you little miss maid that became a princess over night, methinks you have our money in your petticoats," the butcher growled. The two men spoke slyly to each other with their eyes and chuckled. "Shall we find out?" the baker asked.

Elizabeth felt two hands on her shoulders and warmth behind her. The threatening men's expressions suddenly changed from fierce to humble. They removed their hats and bowed their heads. "We only came for our money young master. We are due."

"I will pay you your last payment," Lafayette said from behind Elizabeth, "but you will be held in custody under guard until morning. General Washington will know of your actions this evening. I dare say it will be the end of your service here."

The men looked up aghast. "But, kind sir, please reconsider. We have families."

"What do you know of families? You have been threatening someone's niece here, and someone's mother in there."

The butcher scowled. Lafayette turned and yelled, "Hamilton, have you cash to pay these men?"

"Yes, sir," Hamilton called out from the front room.

"Please, do so," Lafayette called back.

A guard rushed into the breezeway.

"Guard, stay here. After these men receive their pay, confine them under lock and key for the evening. Do not allow them to speak to anyone or leave your sight."

"Yes, sir, General."

The baker and butcher looked at each other bewildered.

"Come, Elizabeth," Lafayette said, "I believe you will be more comfortable inside."

"Yes, sir." Elizabeth felt relief that she had not tried to question those two men earlier, but if either one was the suspected assassin, they would surely be compelled to act sooner than later after being dismissed by General Lafayette.

She turned back into the house. Lafayette followed, shutting and barring the door behind him. "I am very sorry, Elizabeth. I should not have been so distracted and allowed that to happen. Sometimes the locals can be rather rough in character."

"I understand, sir. I think I will go upstairs and rest a bit. I'm feeling very tired."

"Of course."

Elizabeth hurried upstairs.

She opened Julie's small toiletry bag and found no packets of letters! She put her hand inside and moved her brush and small makeup bottles about but found nothing. She rummaged through the dresser drawers, looked under the bed, and under Julie's pillow. _Nothing_. Elizabeth panicked. _What if Julie has passed those papers to an informant in camp?_ _What if her accomplice is the suspected servant turned assassin?_ The direction the young girl's thoughts took terrified her. She hurried out and headed to the carriage house to tell her friends what she knew.

* * *

Lafayette dared not leave headquarters with Washington unhappy with him and two drunken aides in the front room. He sat down at the commander's desk and pulled out a map of the vicinity to ponder where the farmers he visited hid their wagons and teams. The Schuylkill's snaky path across the page drew his attention. A thought occurred to him that even if they had the wagons and teams they could not cross the frozen river. He wondered how many of the Army's provisions might be sitting at the fords on the north bank. He needed Boggs' help. It galled him that Greene was tying everyone up with paperwork when the very provisions they needed were probably being hustled away by the British right under their noses.

The young man felt a headache coming on from the wine he had consumed at dinner. He rubbed his brow. A strange noise arrested his thoughts. He listened. A bump nearby to his left drew his attention to the hall outside. He arose and walked towards the opened door just in time to see a part of the floor under the stair move. A trap door!

Lafayette pulled his sword and pried up the hidden door. He heard the scuffle of someone moving about in the cellar below. "Hamilton, Laurens, quick!" The two aides were beside him in seconds.

"Someone is down there."

Hamilton said, "The cellar doors outside."

Laurens jumped to the back door and unbarred it but found it chained and locked from without. "Damn!" he exclaimed as he shook the door.

The three young men rushed out the side door to the breezeway and out to the back yard. The cellar doors were wide open but upon descending the steep steps, they found no life but the faint rustle of scurrying rodents.

Lafayette called for the guard that was patrolling the exterior. "Did you see anyone exit this hatch?"

"Why no, sir. I-I see the servants coming and going from there so often though, sir, I may have missed…with the dinner and all, several have been down there today taking loads of baskets"

"Of course, it's all right. Return to your duties."

"Aye, sir." The guard saluted and returned to the perimeter of the yard.

Lafayette turned to Hamilton. "Alexander, have that trap door nailed shut."

"Aye, sir." The young colonels was sobered by the sudden awareness that a stalker may have been entering the house from the cellar. The three men looked at one another, all thinking the same.

* * *

Elizabeth found Isak, Henry and Jeremy at the carriage house. "Thank God you are all here," she said out of breath.

"Elizabeth? What are you--" Jeremy asked.

"It's very important, Jeremy, listen."

The three men stood quiet and turned attentive eyes upon the panting young maiden.

"Julie Keating is a loyalist spy."

Jeremy and Henry's eyes flared. They gaped at each other then at Isak who looked askance.

"What makes you say that, Elizabeth?" Jeremy asked.

"I saw her late last night, after everyone had gone to bed, sitting at General Washington's desk. She was rifling through papers, searching for something and then copying and tracing maps."

"My God!" Jeremy exclaimed.

"We must tell someone," Isak said.

"Yes, but whom?" Jeremy asked.

"Lafayette?" Henry asked.

Jeremy took a deep breath. "I suppose that would be best."

"The general intervened on my and Hannah's behalf just now when the butcher and baker were angry at not having been paid. He had the guards take them to a holding place."

"Yes," Jeremy said. "We have a man that can potentially identify which servant at headquarters has a grudge against Washington for the death of his son. I'm sure the general just used that incident to safely sequester those men."

"Elizabeth," Jeremy said, "return to headquarters and tell Lafayette we need to talk to him right away."

"Of course, Jeremy. Will you wait here?"

"Aye. Hurry."

Elizabeth ran out of the stable and back to the house and discovered Lafayette was not present. She stopped at the door to the front room where the aides appeared busy with reports and letters. "Does anyone know where General Lafayette went?" she asked mindful of her rapid breath.

The men looked up. Hamilton said, "No, Miss. He did not tell us he was leaving. I'm sorry. Is something wrong?"

"No, Colonel. I am sorry to have bothered you."

"It is no bother, Miss. Just let us know if we can help you in any way."

Elizabeth ran out the front door into the darkening twilight and back to the carriage house.

She found her friends anxiously awaiting her arrival. "The general has left headquarters. No one knows where he went."

"Probably to his cabin," Jeremy said. "There are still the reports that Boggs is working on. Come Elizabeth, I hate to take you up there but you must go with us so you can tell the general what you have seen."

The young friends hurried to Lafayette's cabin. Jeremy knocked on the door. "General, it is Jeremy Larkin and friends. May we enter, sir?"

"Of course, Jeremy," the familiar French voice answered.

Jeremy opened the door into the dark cabin. His friends followed him inside. The general was sitting at his camp table with quill pen in hand, signing documents. Sergeant Boggs stood beside him. Lafayette returned his pen to its inkwell. "I was about to send out a search party for you, Jeremy. The sergeant didn't know where you were."

Jeremy smiled at his friends. "It seems no one at headquarters knew where _you _were…sir."

Lafayette appeared perplexed and then grinned. "_Oui._ I see your point. Maybe I should not reprimand you after all."

Boggs chuckled.

"I have two of the servants held under guard," Lafayette said. "I think it is imperative that they either be identified or eliminated."

"Aye, sir. I have something important I think you need to hear," Jeremy said.

The general turned inquisitive eyes upon the young captain.

"Sir," Jeremy said, "Elizabeth has brought us some troubling information."

Lafayette gazed at Elizabeth and smiled.

"Sir, she saw Mrs. Keating in General Washington's office last night, at his desk, copying letters and tracing maps."

The general frowned. "Are you sure about what she was doing, Elizabeth?"

"That's what it appeared to be, sir."

"Could she not have been just writing personal letters?" the general asked.

"I don't think she would have been searching through his papers in his desk if that were the case, sir."

"She could have been looking for paper. There isn't much of it around."

"Sir," Jeremy said, "if she was copying Washington's papers, that would mean she was a loyalist spy at headquarters with free reign to copy whatever she wanted, to overhear Washington's meetings with his staff--"

"Jeremy, you are jumping to a very serious accusation against a woman that Washington considers part of his family."

"I realize that, sir. I had no reason before now to question her loyalty, but what she was doing is serious." Jeremy suddenly felt he had just lied. His own first instincts about the woman and the gossip relayed to him by Sergeant McDonald had been brewing in his mind.

Lafayette sighed and looked at Boggs as if for advice but the older man remained expressionless. The general stood and placed his hands behind his back and paced the cabin from one end to the other then stopped at the fireplace. "I cannot make such an accusation to General Washington without hard evidence. I don't mean that I doubt you Elizabeth. I'm sure you are simply relaying what you thought you saw."

"I understand, sir," Elizabeth said.

"General?" Jeremy asked perplexed.

Lafayette shook his dark head. "No, Jeremy. I wish you to drop your investigation of Mrs. Keating. That is not your purpose here. She will not be here much longer--"

"Aye. She is going to leave with every bit of Washington's correspondence and strategic maps hidden in her petticoats!"

"Captain that is enough!" Lafayette said firmly with an unblinking stare. The general pulled his greatcoat and hat off the peg near the door. "I must return to headquarters. Sergeant, I will have to finish signing these papers there. Please bring them later."

"Aye, sir," Boggs said.

"Now, the matter of Slake and the servants," the general said turning at the door. "The butcher and the baker are being held for Slake's inspection. Jeremy accompany Sergeant Boggs and take Slake to view them. I need to know immediately if neither of those men are the suspect you seek. I had a discomforting encounter with someone who was hiding in the cellar a while ago."

Boggs face darkened with concern. "Sir?"

"Calm yourself, Boggs. I did not feel threatened, but I discovered a trap door that leads from the house to the cellar. Someone could have been coming and going using that means of entry, unseen by the guards at night."

"Did you see anyone?" Jeremy asked.

"No. Just a shadow and the sound of footsteps and the creak of wood. The aides and I hurried out to catch him escaping via the hatch behind the house, but we only found the doors wide open and no sign of a human being."

"Sir, were you alone at headquarters?" Boggs said.

"No, the aides were in the front room. The guard that was patrolling the exterior saw nothing. Needless to say, it now has me quite unnerved for General Washington's safety that anyone could have entered the house that way. I had seen a shadow on the stairs last night but had searched the house and found nothing and felt the house secure. Whatever I saw could have escaped via that trap door in the floor."

Lafayette opened the cabin door to darkness. "I must return to headquarters. I have the responsibility of acting as major general of the day the rest of the week and mustn't neglect my duty. Please take Slake to see those men and notify me at once of what you discover--and please stay out of trouble. I have enough on my hands without thinking about you meddling where you shouldn't." He went out the door and closed it behind him.

Everyone left in the cabin stood in silence for a long moment.

"Well isn't this a pickle," Henry said. "A loyalist spy at headquarters free to do as she pleases and a ghost in the cellar."

"He's in love with her," Jeremy said.

"What?" Boggs asked with a chuckle.

"That could be the only explanation for what we just heard," the captain replied.

"Jeremy, no," Elizabeth said. "You are drawing the wrong conclusion. He is just concerned for General Washington and the distress this news would cause him."

"Perhaps, but I would expect him to behave different if that were the case."

"From what I have seen and heard," Elizabeth said, "it is Mrs. Keating that is in love, not General Lafayette."

"What do you mean?" Jeremy asked.

"Captain," Boggs said, "you need to drop it or you risk angering General Lafayette. He could send you back to Chester without further ado."

"Sergeant, would you just drop something like this and allow the British to gain what information Mrs. Keating has copied?" Jeremy asked.

The sergeant sighed. "It would help to have hard evidence that she was copying Washington's papers. That is what I heard the general say. He wasn't really saying he didn't believe it."

Jeremy's brow wrinkled.

"The sergeant's right, Jeremy," Henry said. "That's what I heard as well. A subtle disclosure of his true feelings."

Jeremy turned to Elizabeth. "Do you think you could find and snatch one of the papers that Mrs. Keating took from Washington's office? One that she traced or copied in her hand?"

"I tried to find them before I came to see you but they were gone from the bag she had placed them in. I will keep an eye out for them, but if I lose too much sleep to do my job of accompanying and entertaining the lady by day I might earn a brisk reprimand from the commander just like Lafayette received at dinner."

"Oh, God," Jeremy's green eyes pleaded with Boggs. "Sergeant, General Lafayette is disturbed about something and I doubt it is just about Washington yelling at him. I could see it in his eyes when we were interrogating Slake--"

"I saw it too, last night at supper, Jeremy," Elizabeth said. "He is deeply troubled."

The young people pinned concerned stares upon Boggs.

The older man rolled his eyes to the ceiling and sighed. "It is not my place to speak with Lafayette or Washington or anyone else about that woman."

"Well, who the hell's business is it to protect them?" Jeremy yelled and then dropped his head dismayed with his show of anger. "I'm sorry, Sergeant. That was inappropriate. Come Elizabeth, Isak will walk you back to headquarters. You will be missed."

"I can see the benefit of Elizabeth obtaining the proof," the sergeant said, "but you heard the general say he did not want you pursuing Mrs. Keating. You and Henry and Isak best leave that alone and stick to your mission."

"I intend to show Lafayette whatever paper Elizabeth finds," Jeremy said, "rather he wants to look at it or not. There is more at stake here, than my friendship with General Lafayette or General Washington's feelings or that lady's honor."

Sergeant Boggs frowned at the young captain. "You better be absolutely sure, lad, before you broach that subject again. General Lafayette is very slow to anger but he can be quite voracious when cornered."

"Aye, Sergeant. Thank you for the warning. Now, Elizabeth, you and Isak return to headquarters."

"Yes, Jeremy," Elizabeth said. "Do be careful."

"I say the same to you. Do not try to confront Mrs. Keating, or risk being suspected by the remaining servants of your true purpose. If you feel frightened at all you go to Isak at the stables."

"Of course, Jeremy."

* * *

A mad mind contemplated a mad act as the house occupants scattered, preoccupied with their various affairs. He had nearly been caught. It thrilled his vengeful heart. He had escaped unseen, only to walk calmly in the front door and make his way to the bedchambers upstairs. No one was there to notice.

He knew now exactly how he would do it. A knife to the throat, silent, unnoticed in the night. It would leave a bloody mess for everyone to see in the morning. The faces of every man and woman he knew flashed in his mind. He liked to imagine their reaction as they learned of his deed. It would shock the world on both sides of the Atlantic and bring many to their knees in mourning.

The intruder walked into the bedchamber and dropped to his hands and knees then rolled over on his back and slid under the bed. A perfect fit he thought. He pulled his knife and laid it upon his chest. Now he only had to wait. He had waited almost a month, what was a few more hours?

* * *

Elizabeth and Julie went to bed at the same time. Elizabeth was nervous and couldn't sleep. She was still awake when General Washington returned from Greene's headquarters.

An hour after the general returned, Julie arose and left the room. Elizabeth suspected she was headed downstairs to copy more papers. She quickly arose, put on her slippers and grabbed her shawl. She lit a candle in a pewter holder and hurried out only to find Julie standing at Lafayette's door. Her wavy copper hair was down. It sparkled in the candlelight. She was wearing only her shift.

"Julie, is something wrong?" Elizabeth asked.

"No. Why are you up? Did I wake you?"

"I have a bit of a stomach ache. I'm afraid the generous dinner was more than I normally eat. I was going to go to the kitchen and heat some milk."

"I see. Be careful of the guards. Don't let them shoot you."

"Of course." As Elizabeth went to the stair, Julie opened the general's door and slipped inside. Elizabeth was frightened that she might mean harm to the Frenchman but she clearly had no weapons. The youthful girl hovered on the landing trying to decide whether to raise an alarm or let it pass. _What if he and she were--?_ Elizabeth shivered and decided to go to General Washington's desk and see what letters Julie may have copied.

* * *

Lafayette went to bed early that night, but he lay awake for hours. Most of the time going to bed meant lying in the dark in a fatigued trance that came close to sleep but usually fell short. He had trouble stopping the voice in his brain, which was the only French he heard for great stretches of time.

The moon shown brightly through the open shutters leaving a pattern of small stark blue panes on the bare wood plank floor. He had managed to get his coat, waistcoat and shirt off, but once he had pulled off his tall boots, he fell back on the bed. His wounded leg throbbed. His stomach growled which made him chuckle. He, the Marquis de Lafayette, was hungry. That would amuse his friends back in Paris.

Outside his closed door, General Washington climbed the stairs and closed the door on his bedroom. Lafayette sighed. How was he to explain to his commander his discomfort over Julie's advances? Why this sudden conviction on the part of Captain Larkin that she was a Loyalist spy? _Mon Dieu!_ _She is just a bored spoilt_ _fille coquette_. Thoughts of his hungry cold men agitated his mind. He worried about Gates, Conway and Mifflin and their traitorous pack against his beloved adopted father. It sickened him still that he had been so easily swayed by the treacherous Conway's words of praise. The young general found he was gripping his pillow with closed fists. He rolled over on his side, and pulled the covers up over his lean body to ward off the constant chill, as the small room had no fireplace. Hours later he fell into a troubled sleep and dreamt his wife, Adrienne, had come to visit him. She was scolding him once again for having left without saying good-bye.

"Gilbert," she said.

"_Oui, ma __chérie_? I am here."

"Gilbert, wake up."

Adrienne didn't speak English. He opened his eyes and felt movement at his side. A soft warm breath brushed his shoulder. The bed moved under him. Someone was in the dark room with him and it could not be his wife. He panicked until a familiar voice at his ear said, "Are you going to wake up or do I have to pour that pitcher of water on your head?"

"Julie?" The young man rolled on his back and found Julie Keating lying by his side breathing on him. "What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"No, _m__on chéri,_ I just wanted to pay you a visit. You seemed quite distracted at dinner. I suppose being berated by your dear adopted father in front of those Virginians was a bit….distressing, _non_?

The bed was too small for the two of them but she fit snuggly between the wall and his side. There was no way to move and avoid her touch. "What do you want?" Lafayette asked.

She sighed softly. "What does any woman want that sneaks into your bed?"

"This is usually where I call for the guards to escort her out."

"Oh, Gilbert, don't be childish. You are a man after all, isn't it time you acted like one?"

"Mrs. Keating, return to your room."

"Hmm….such a tone to use with a lady. That sounded like an order."

"It was."

As the general's eyes grew accustomed to the moonlit room he realized Julie was not clothed. She was barely covered by the bed cloth. It unnerved him that she would force herself on him. He was angry, but he admired her small curved form gently draped in the moonlight; her softness was enticing. She smelled of lavender. He wanted her embrace desperately--to feel the intimacy of a lover. Thoughts of his wife, his commander and Elizabeth so near would not leave his mind. "I don't mean to hurt your feelings, Julie. You are a beautiful woman, but this is not the place or the time."

Julie turned her head abruptly to look at him. The moonlight revealed her beauty. No man could turn her down, so why was he doing so? _What is wrong with me?_

He heard her sigh.

"Then name the place and time, darling. I will go anywhere with you. An abandoned barn, a hay field--my mansion." She sobbed.

"I meant to say, I am not the man."

Julie sat up and looked down at him; her satin hair brushed his face. "No, of course not, you are a mere boy."

Her words stung him. His anger returned. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what? Throwing myself at you? I thought I was making it easy for you, Gilbert. I wanted to give you a gift that I thought you of all the men in this camp, wanted and deserved. I saw a hint of lust in your eyes the first night I was here in this room with you. You can not deny that."

Lafayette sighed. "I don't feel that way towards you. I'm sorry--"

"Ohhhh….I suppose you prefer buxom women like Caty Green?"

"_Non_. I haven't even met her. I prefer my wife. I love my wife."

"You are such a boy. What does sex have to do with love? Since when does a French nobleman concern himself with love when lust will do? One would think you would enjoy an older woman, an experienced woman, seeing how you have only done it with a little girl."

"Julie that is enough. Return to your room at once."

"No. What are you going to do about it? Yell for papa?"

"Be quiet, you will wake--"

Julie giggled. "Elizabeth saw me come in here."

"_Mon Dieu_--"

"Don't worry. She is a good little confidante. She won't tell."

The Frenchman bolted up into a sitting position.

"Don't be angry, darling, please." Her warm hand caressed his bare back and move up to the nape of his neck. "You are a beautiful young man, Gilbert." She chuckled. "It was very dangerous for our dear papa Washington to put us together. I simply can't resist you. You know I live the life of a recluse. I might as well be in a convent."

"I am ready to put you in one," he growled.

Julie chuckled softly. "You're anger is only enticing me the more. Lay back and relax. Let me love you, Gilbert. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. All I ask is that you hold me--really that is all I want…"

"I don't believe that."

She gently embraced him--the bed cloth fell away. He could feel her warm body; her soft breath upon him made his blood rise. She nuzzled his cheek, and kissed his lips as her hands moved over his taut body. "Relax, Gilbert, I don't bite. Will you not even spare me an embrace? A brotherly kiss?" She snickered.

For a moment as his heartbeat quickened, his breathing grew rapid, he ached to give in to this woman's seduction but he couldn't with Elizabeth on the other side of the wall. It bothered him that his body was reacting to her. He grabbed her small wrist as her hand slipped down his ribs.

She cried out in pain.

"Leave this room, now," he demanded quietly but firmly.

Julie jerked her hand away from his grasp. "All right," she said tearfully, "Please don't be angry." She dropped her head--her body shook with her sobs. "I am deceiving you, but what other option does a woman have? I am desperate for children…"

Lafayette gasped. "You want me to be a stud for the Keating family?"

"Rutherford would be overjoyed. He would accept the blessed child as his own. He so desperately wants a son. Must you be so cruel and selfish? You will have many children. Why deny me this small present? I promise you it will be nothing but pleasurable and you will have no obligation whatsoever."

Lafayette was appalled at this revelation. He dared not ask if this was Washington's idea. He really didn't want to know. Then he thought of Wayne. "Is that why you slept with General Wayne? Did you dump him when no child was produced?"

Julie caught her breath. "That is none of your affair," she hissed. "Don't you know? But of course, your youth blinds you. Poor Anthony's wife is going insane. She won't let him near her. He has watched her slow demise and transformation into a demented stranger. Yet he still cares for her. It is very painful for him to spend time in his own home."

He had not heard any of that. "I was not aware--he never speaks of his wife."

"We met and fed each other's need for intimacy--relief from the oppressive loneliness. What do you expect of me? My life is miserable. I have money, but I cannot get my hands on it. I thought maybe, if you did love me--and our child--you might help me with that. You could buy the land and free me from General Washington's control. You of all people know how controlling he can be. The child would inherit it all. He would need nothing from you."

The general was stunned. His head reeled at each revelation of Julie's. She had contrived her scheme even before she was invited to headquarters. He remembered the details she knew about his family and felt a frightful chill.

"You need a male heir to remain in control of your fortune," he said. "Of course, I suppose I should have guessed what might be driving your appetite for me. Does General Washington know of your plans in regards to me?" the young man murmured.

Julie hesitated. She stroked his hair. "I think he was hoping we could make some arrangement. It is common here in America. Is it not the same in France?"

Lafayette dropped his head, dejected. He could not do this thing. Maybe he was still a boy. It scared him to imagine what else this woman might have in mind. A mistress was not to be a burden on a man or his family and this woman promised nothing but a huge scandal--children--a control over him that would color everything he did. It would destroy his family.

She was forcing him to disappoint the man he held most dear in the world and he hated her for it.

Yet, his young heart heard her words and ached for her.

"Julie, there is a guard standing right below that window. One word to him and he will escort you from this room as you are. Is that what you want?"

"You wouldn't dare?" she whined.

The general remained silent.

"I should have known you were not different," she said, her breath hot against his cheek. "You are just an arrogant pompous…fiend like all the rest. A _good_ woman should just suffer her whole life for the injustice made by a man in deciding her fate. Isn't that right, Marquis? Of course, I understand, you shouldn't be sullied by a real woman. Am I below your class because I'm merely an American? a colonial? or is it because I'm the daughter of a despised _land speculator_?" She slapped her hand to her forehead. "Oh, yes, of course, it must be because my money-hungry husband doesn't have sheep on his pastures."

Her mocking tongue bit him like a rabid dog. His anger turned to sorrow then shame as tears flowed down his cold cheeks. Her feelings were hurt. She felt rejected instead of understanding his position. _Stupid selfish silly Gilbert you are a failure at everything!_ The anticipated angry reprisal of his commander he translated into his father-in-law's caustic words of rejection.

She climbed over him and out of the small bed, picking up her shift that was lying on the floor. She stood facing him to give him a full view of what he was rejecting--a perfect female form rendered in shades of cold blue by the moonlight. It brought to his mind the statues in the gardens at Versailles. He turned his head.

"Fine," she sobbed. She angrily pulled the shift over her head and was soon out the door, slamming it behind her.

He winced and dropped his head into his trembling hands.

* * *

Elizabeth deplored her unlucky timing. A door slammed just as she was tiptoeing up the stairs. This time, Lady Julie didn't notice her as she was stomping into their room scantily clad. After she passed, Elizabeth turned back and returned to the hall below. She stepped into Washington's office, closed the door and slumped dumbfounded into a chair. She had seen and heard far more than she had wanted and it frightened her. Mrs. Keating was a loyalist spy. That wasn't what had her shaking, though. She was scared for General Lafayette. What was she doing to him? She couldn't tell anyone about that--or could she?

Elizabeth took a deep breath. She had to think about her mission first. She had to get her hands on those papers Julie took with her from the office. As she struggled to get a grip on her nerves, she heard boots tramping down the stairs. She held her breath until the front door opened and closed. Elizabeth arose and lay on the red divan. She curled up on her side and pulled the down coverlet over her. She would try to sleep for a while.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Isak awoke before dawn in the stable where he bedded down in an empty stall. It was freezing cold and his two blankets were not keeping him warm. He decided work would be the best remedy. Stiffness had set in, making it difficult for the big man to move. He fumbled for a lantern. While he was lighting it, he heard the thunder of galloping horses. With his lantern lit, he rushed to the small window that faced the house and wiped off the frost. There was just enough light creeping over the sky to make out three mounted men and Lafayette walking hastily across the road away from headquarters.

"General Lafayette!" one of the horsemen yelled.

The young Frenchman stopped and turned.

"Yes, General Greene?"

"Where are you headed in such a hurry before dawn?" the older general asked.

"To my cabin, sir."

Greene dismounted and gave his horse to an aide and ordered, "Take the horses to the stable and have them fed."

The aides dismounted and led their horses towards Isak. He was going to get the work he was asking for. The black opened the door to greet them. The aide approached, "Stableman--"

"I heard." Isak took the horses and led them into a makeshift corral next to the stables. As he was removing the saddles preparing to groom the beasts, he couldn't help overhearing Greene and Lafayette's conversation. The aides lingered near the corral.

Greene approached Lafayette. "Have you forgotten that you were to serve as major general of the day today?"

"N-no, sir." Lafayette stammered.

"That service is performed at headquarters, General."

"I am aware of that. I will return."

Greene put his fists on his hips and glared at the younger man. "I realize you are concerned about the men under your command, but you are going to have to put the whole army at the foremost of your mind today. Those Virginians are quite capable of taking care of themselves."

Lafayette frowned, but remained quiet.

"I need you to look into the reason why the quartermaster's promised wagons of beef and flour have not arrived. Based on his last promise to me, they were due here two days ago. In my absence, no one in this command has bothered to find out why they are not here."

"Nathanael, the quartermaster department never delivers on anything they promise, but I will look in to that, of course, sir. Will you be out of camp today?"

"I will be at the artillery park. Knox will be demonstrating his weaponry to Jefferson and Henry before they leave for Williamsburg. I expect you to apply yourself to your duties today, General. It seems that you have been quite distracted of late."

"In what way?"

"I don't see that I need to paint you a picture, but if I must…I am speaking of the attention you are giving General Washington's visitor, Mrs. Keating."

"General Washington has asked me--"

"General Washington doesn't intend for this camp to suffer for you to have what amounts to an amour with that woman."

Lafayette's expression showed his surprise at General Greene's accusation. "Nathanael, how could you think such a thing of me? I thought you knew me better than that."

"Yes, I thought I did, but then I've only known you for a short four months. Apparently, your youth is guiding your indiscretion. I suggest you change your tactics young man because I don't think even Washington can save you from that type of scandal especially in light of the current political atmosphere in York. There are many in Congress who want to put Gates at the head of this army. What do you think the news of Washington's favorite French volunteer gallivanting with a prominent married woman would do for those New England Puritans in Congress?" Greene's tone was angry, almost hateful. He made no effort to keep his voice down. Isak glanced at the aides who were standing together with their backs turned to the generals.

Lafayette looked perplexed. "Nathanael, I can't control gossip or what people say who are dead set on such misguided beliefs. I'm sure worse has been said of me by Washington's enemies."

"What you can do about it, young sir, is behave in an irreproachable manner at all times," General Greene said forcibly.

Lafayette hesitated for a moment. His smooth young face stern and angry in the dawn light. "Why all this concern with my behavior? Do you know where General Wayne is right now? You give him enough whiskey he'll tell you all about his steamy little affair with Mrs. Keating."

The aides standing near Isak could not hide their mirth at Lafayette's counterattack. They chuckled. One of them murmured, "Ten on the Frenchman."

"You are changing the subject," Greene said half-smiling as he gazed towards the corral. The two aides quickly returned to their disinterested stance, turning their backs, hiding their smiles.

"I am not, sir! This is the very subject."

"General Lafayette, you have placed yourself in the position of favored adopted son of Washington and this country. You represent France, if not in official capacity, by association. You do not have the freedom that General Wayne enjoys as the not-so favored thorn in the commander's side."

"Then send me away."

"What?"

"Send me on a foraging mission. I will find those missing wagons and bring them here myself."

Greene shook his head.

"Nathanael, what better way to put an end to the gossip about me and Mrs. Keating?"

Greene chuckled. "Gilbert, major generals do not lead foraging expeditions. Major general's do paperwork, track supplies and send others on foraging expeditions. If you wanted to be skirmishing in the field you should have volunteered to be a captain."

Lafayette dropped his head in frustration. "I may just have to do that."

"I think your father-in-law might be a bit disappointed if you acted in such an impetuous manner and gave up your generalship. No, my dear boy, you can't run from this gossip. You must counter it by proper behavior."

"I have behaved properly. When have I not?" Lafayette exploded angrily.

"I dare say you are leaving this house this early because of some improper encounter with the lady."

Lafayette looked stunned and hurt.

General Greene turned about and walked away towards headquarters. Lafayette took two frustrated paces as if to follow him, then turned abruptly and continued on his way towards his cabin.

* * *

Elizabeth awoke, drowsy and uncomfortable. There was a hulking dark form at the fireplace in front of her. She sat up startled but then realized in the dim light filtering through the drawn drapes that it was only the woodsman come to replenish the firewood. He finished loading an armful of wood in the box then lit the fire and used the bellows to hasten it.

"Thank you," Elizabeth said.

The man turned. She could barely make out his features.

"It's my job, Miss," he said and returned to his work.

"Are you a local man?"

"Aye, Miss. That I am. Lived here all my life."

"Have you family?"

"I did. They're all dead now."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I'm an orphan myself."

The man did not reply.

"I suppose you are thankful the army showed up on your doorstep?"

The worker shrugged.

"Do they pay you well?"

"Aye, Miss." The man turned his head but did not look at her. "It's not my place to discuss such things with ye Miss. I'm forbidden from carryin' on any discussions of my work with anyone."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean--I mean I surely do not want to get you in any kind of trouble. I guess I'm just a bit bored and I'm always interested in other people's stories. Aren't you?"

"I mind my own business, Miss. It's best that way."

Elizabeth sighed. She was going to tell Jeremy he was barking down the wrong foxhole with his notion of these simple working people plotting murder. She had to return to her room. General Washington would be downstairs soon. She didn't want to explain why she was here. She stood up, folded the coverlet neatly, and returned it to the back of the divan. The man at the fireplace did not turn around to see her leave. As she left the office, General Greene startled her. He was standing in the entry with an aide scanning a dispatch in the light by the window. Greene didn't look up. The aide turned and tipped his hat. "Morning, Miss."

"Good morning."

Greene still didn't acknowledge her. Elizabeth looked down at her feet and realized she was embarrassingly dishabille. She hurried upstairs and stepped quietly to her bedroom door. Opening it, she saw Julie sprawled under the counterpane; her long hair covered her face. The gracious lady was not particularly fashionable in her sleep thought the young spy. The ambitious paramour must have been upset and cried herself to sleep. Sitting on her own bed, Elizabeth looked around in the dawn light filtered through the drapery. _Where did Julie hide those papers? _

The visitor's trunks had all been carried out. There was only the small carpetbag she kept her toiletries in. It sat on the dresser near the window at the foot of Julie's bed. Elizabeth took a deep breath and walked quietly to the dresser. She watched for a moment the quiet rise and fall of the sleeping woman's breast in the mirror. She quickly opened the clasp on the bag and there were the papers. They had reappeared--three packets, folded and loosely wrapped with ribbon. She worked to get one loose keeping an eye on Julie in the mirror. The sound of General Washington leaving his room made her jump and freeze. She watched Julie, as the general's footsteps receded down the stairs, but the slumbering woman didn't move. The teenager managed to free two of the papers. She quickly dressed and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her. She didn't know what the papers were, but she had to get them to Jeremy.

Elizabeth slipped downstairs and saw General Washington at his desk as she went to retrieve her cloak and boots. The front office was buzzing with the aides arriving for their day of work. General Greene was speaking with Colonel Hamilton as she hurried unnoticed out the front door and towards the stable.

* * *

Isak was brushing down horses in the corral as they fed from buckets of oats hung from their heads when Elizabeth appeared.

"Good morning to you, Miss Elizabeth. You are out and about mighty early this morning."

"Isak. I have the proof."

Elizabeth came closer and the blacksmith could see she was nervous and disturbed and appeared to have not slept. Her eyes were intent, her spare form quivered.

"Of course," he said. "Let's pay a visit to Jeremy."

Isak took the feed buckets from the horses and led them to the watering trough. He lifted the top bar that served as a gate to the corral and hurried out. They walked down the trail that led beside the creek.

Isak said, "Elizabeth, General Lafayette left early this morning for his cabin. It seems there's some gossip going around that he and Mrs. Keating are having an affair. At least that's what General Greene accused him of in the middle of the road this morning. Lafayette seemed perplexed and dismayed at that news."

Elizabeth frowned. "Oh, Isak. The evidence I'm bringing Jeremy about Mrs. Keating is going to far out shadow any accusations of misconduct on the part of General Lafayette. I do fear for the general though. I believe her designs upon him are not appropriate."

"Really?" Isak said.

"I've told you how she was when she arrived. She asked me those questions and I shan't go into detail--just take my word for it. She is infatuated with General Lafayette in the most unhealthy way."

At Lafayette's cabin, Isak knocked on the door and gained entry.

* * *

Elizabeth quickly handed Jeremy the papers she brought. The spymaster unfolded them and laid them out on the table before Sergeant Boggs.

"This map is a plan of the fortifications and roads at this camp," Boggs said. "The letter is from General Washington to congress in which he complains of the lack of supplies and the miserably inept quartermaster's department."

"I'm sure General Washington would be dismayed if these fell into British hands," Jeremy said.

"I'm sure the British spies have already relayed this information to the British command without need of these papers as proof."

Jeremy rose and leaned on the table before Boggs, his eyes intensely focused on the older man. "So you think it should not be of concern? That we should not disturb headquarters with this news?"

"I didn't say that," said the sergeant. "Perhaps it would be best if I gave them to the general on your behalf?"

"Why? So I can avoid his reprimand and his right fist meeting my jaw?" Jeremy asked.

Boggs smirked. "Suit yourself then. You won't find him at headquarters though."

"What?" Jeremy asked.

"He left early with his guard. He said he was going to check the progress on the new outer redoubt."

"He took his whole guard to do that?" Jeremy asked.

Boggs shrugged. "Probably just giving them something to do."

"Jeremy," Isak said, "I overheard a conversation this morning outside headquarters between Greene and Lafayette. It seems there are rumors going around that Lafayette and Mrs. Keating are having a flourish. Greene was yelling at Lafayette to do something about it. The Frenchman was visibly upset after that encounter. He is supposed to be serving as major general of the day and he wasn't supposed to leave headquarters."

"See, Elizabeth?" Jeremy said.

"Jeremy, that does not mean anything. Rumors are just that!" Elizabeth said.

"Elizabeth," Jeremy said, "Greene wouldn't be saying anything like that if he didn't know something was wrong. I think Lafayette needs our help as well as Washington. We can't let this woman leave this camp with what she has in her possession. She may be trying to divide Lafayette and Washington or attempting to create a scandal involving Lafayette in order to destroy him and thereby Washington. Maybe she resents Washington's control of her wealth. Sergeant Boggs, what can we do?"

"I've seen women swoon and faint over him--I've pulled them out of his tent in the middle of the night and booted them out of the camp," Boggs said. "Why should this one be any different? The woman is infatuated with him and Washington probably wants him to play it up to the hilt for the money. Is it foreign to what I know about the man? Yes. I thought he loved his wife, but things can change, Jeremy. With him this far from home, maybe he and she are having some differences. They barely know each other. He hates his father-in-law. But the simple fact is Lafayette would do it for Washington."

Jeremy was shocked at the very idea that Washington would stoop to such a thing. "Make a paramour out of Lafayette? A plaything for a wealthy married woman?" His exasperated sigh made Boggs roll his eyes.

"It may not be at all what you are thinking," Boggs said. "Lafayette can entertain a lady without resorting to sex."

Jeremy turned to see Elizabeth in tears. "Bess? What's wrong? Is this talk--"

"I fear I can no longer hold my tongue. I haven't told you everything I know. I thought it improper--"

Jeremy took hold of Elizabeth's arms and turned her towards him. "Elizabeth, you know I care greatly for General Lafayette as I believe you do as well. If you think he is in danger, now is the time to speak."

Elizabeth tearfully confessed her knowledge of Julie Keating's late night visit to Lafayette's room. "I don't think he wants her advances in any way. General Washington is pressuring him to please the woman but surely, this is not what he means. I can't believe that of Washington. He loves Lafayette like a son. I've seen it in his eyes, heard it in his voice. It has to be a huge misunderstanding between them."

"All right," Boggs said, "well I suppose he is perfectly capable of using sex to entertain as well if that's what the lady wants. I still don't see that it is any of our business."

"Daniel, I don't believe Lafayette would go that far with her," Jeremy said. "A lot of things would cross his mind before he dared to commit adultery with _that_ particular woman in _that_ house. Besides if it were true, don't you think he would be the happiest man in camp right now?"

Boggs lifted his hat and scratched his sandy head. "Aye, I suppose you have a point there. He is terribly moody and withdrawn. That is not the sign of a man that is rogering-- pardon my language, Miss Elizabeth."

Jeremy stared at Elizabeth.

She shook her head. "Oh, no, Jeremy Larkin, I am not going to spy on General Lafayette in any way. I have told you more than I should have as it is."

"Of course not Elizabeth. I only mean for you to keep your eye on this lady's movements after everyone has gone to bed. She may be a spy, or just a jolted lover. Is she doing anything else? Is she meeting someone near headquarters and passing these papers to them? How is she getting the information out of the camp?"

"All right," Elizabeth said. "So I am to return to headquarters now? Who is to give those papers to Lafayette? I cannot very well do it."

Jeremy threw back his head and exhaled a deep breath. "We should all go to headquarters. We must find and hold the remaining servants. I fear we are letting the probable attacker of General Washington have too much time, too much space…"

"What came of the butcher and baker?" Isak asked.

"They were each eliminated by Slake. They were set free and promptly appeared before Colonel Tilghman to complain of their ill-treatment by Lafayette."

"Something else for General Washington to berate Lafayette about," Elizabeth said. "So that leaves the rubbish man and his son, the laundress, the woodsman and the barber"

"I think it is safe to say the laundress is not a suspect," Henry said. "She is a widow with no children. One of the doctors knew her. She has been doing his laundry and grousing about the maid at headquarters recently promoted to a lady's companion."

"Does she mean me?" Elizabeth asked, her mouth open in disbelief.

Henry smiled. "Don't worry Elizabeth, she is harmless. Apparently, she and the cook worked themselves into a little tizzy over you and have spread it all over the camp. It is nothing but jealousy. There is nothing dishonorable about being a lady's companion."

"At the rate gossip spreads around this camp," Elizabeth said in a huff with her hands planted on her small hips, "you would think everyone would know exactly who intended to kill General Washington."

"Boggs, what do you know of the rubbish hauling and the wood fetching at headquarters?" Jeremy asked.

"The trash is burned because of the potential for secrets residing in unfinished letters. The people involved are closely watched and cleared for their duty. I believe the rubbish man resides at the forge. I have no idea where to find the woodsman. He spends his days cutting trees and chopping wood for headquarters. He could be anywhere in the woods up or down the river."

"I hope the general thought to have that trapdoor nailed shut," Jeremy said.

"Yes, he did," Isak said. "He sent Hamilton out to fetch me. I took care of it. No one will be coming into headquarters by that means. They would have to pass a guard or a locked door."

"Still, I am not at ease where the safety of General Washington is concerned and I don't believe General Lafayette is either," Jeremy said.

"If Lafayette is serving as major general of the day, why did he leave headquarters?" Boggs asked no one in particular. He had obviously been thinking on that question since Isak had shared his observations.

"Greene ordered him to find out what happened to some missing wagons of supplies," Isak said, "but he told him not to leave headquarters, too. He said it wasn't for major general's to go on foraging parties. Major generals were to direct others to do so."

"Ah, damn that boy!" Boggs yelled as he stood and slapped the camp table bouncing papers into the air and onto the floor.

"Sergeant?" Jeremy asked surprised. He had never heard Boggs express anger towards his commander.

"He's gone off after those missing wagons of beef and flour. He'll get in a skirmish with a British patrol for sure. I have to go after him." The sergeant grabbed his coat and hat.

"But, Sergeant, isn't that completely impractical? You don't know which way he went?"

"I can find out from the pickets."

"Daniel, why the sudden concern?"

"You've convinced me he's upset and distracted and I don't like the idea of him leaving this camp in that frame of mind. He'll get himself killed out of spite."

Jeremy chuckled. "Out of spite?"

"Well…he's oblivious to his own safety on a normal day…"

"Surely, he won't go far if he has told General Greene that he will obey his orders," Isak said.

"Did you hear him say that?" the sergeant asked.

"Yep." Isak chuckled. "He just didn't say exactly when he would obey them and Greene didn't ask."

"That's just like that young--to use a loop-hole in an order, to justify what he wants to do. General Washington is going to have my hide for letting this happen."

"Sergeant, we need your help," Jeremy said. "We can't let this assassin continue to have free access to the commander-in-chief.

The sergeant slipped his sheepskin lined buckskin coat on. He sighed and shook his head. "Your right, Captain. I will go with you. We will all return to headquarters and wait for General Lafayette. If he doesn't show up within the hour though I'm sounding a general alert."

The group left the cabin and headed for headquarters by foot.

* * *

At headquarters, Elizabeth's friends and Sergeant Boggs went to talk to Captain Gibbs, the commander Washington's life guard, about the remaining servants. She did not see Lafayette in the house. Washington's aides were busy writing as usual in the front room. She stepped back to Washington's office and found the door open. The general was seated at his desk with his back to her.

"Elizabeth?" he asked.

"You must have eyes in the back of your head."

Washington chuckled. "That would be a useful thing for a man in my position, don't you think?"

"Aye, sir, it would be at that."

Washington returned his quill pen to its inkwell. He stood and turned to gaze upon Elizabeth. His face was sad like the face of a man in mourning.

"Come in, dear. Please sit with me for a moment." He gestured towards the red divan.

After she was seated, the general pulled up an armchair and sat down across from her. He looked as if he had a purpose in speaking with her. She worried about what he thought of the noise heard in the house the night before.

"Are you all right, my dear? I fear I have put an unusual load upon you in addition to the duties you took upon yourself in coming here."

Elizabeth bit her lower lip. "I'm fine, sir. I am quite enjoying my stay here."

"You have been most welcome and a delightful house guest. You've been out and about I suppose meeting with your friends?"

"Yes, sir."

The general dropped his head. Elizabeth noticed how well groomed the man was. His hair was perfectly combed and powdered. There was never a button missing, or a speck of lint on his uniform. His boots were polished to perfection, his nails manicured--the barber was here in her absence.

"Then you have seen and smelled the horrendous condition of this camp?"

"I didn't notice it being all that bad, sir. I've only been to General Lafayette's quarters."

"Ah, of course, at least General Lafayette has encouraged and demanded better behavior of his men. I'm afraid the situation is becoming quite dire and dangerous to the health of young ladies."

_Oh, he is worried about me visiting the cabins. _"Well, I did overhear the aides talking about camp sicknesses taking lives at a rapid rate," Elizabeth said.

"Yes. Our lack of supplies and medicine is starting to take a great toll on the men and the animals. I know you are a lover of animals and--"

"Sir, you needn't worry about me. I grew up on a farm. I'm not a city girl."

Washington smiled. "That fact shows in your healthy skin and bright hair my dear. All the same, I want you to return home no different from the day you arrived. I was thinking about taking a carriage ride out from camp to avail myself of a fresh perspective. I thought you and Julie might benefit from it as well. Julie seemed quite fatigued and sad this morning. She's upstairs. Have you seen her?"

"Not awake, sir. I left very early this morning. A carriage ride would be lovely, but--"

"But?"

"I think my friends expect me to be here today to assist them in their endeavors to identify the person who is plotting to harm you. They are very close to identifying the guilty party."

Washington sighed. "Oh, yes, that would be your mission wouldn't it? How is that going by the way? No one bothers to keep me briefed on the matter and I'm the supposed victim."

"Well, sir, my friends have determined that it is likely one of the servants. A man who's son was shot for desertion."

The general's eyes widened. "That is a concern then because it would seem to endanger all of my guests as well."

"My friends are working very hard to identify the specific man. Pardon me, sir, I couldn't help noticing that you had your hair powdered this morning. Are you well acquainted with the barber? Is he a local man?"

"It's hard not to be acquainted with your barber," Washington said with a smile. "Mr. Arnold Evans is his name and no he is not local. He and his family traveled with us from Whitemarsh as refugees. His children are mere toddlers. Does that eliminate him as your suspect?"

Elizabeth sighed in relief. "Aye, sir. That eliminates him. I suppose you don't know anything about the rubbish man or the woodsman?"

Washington shook his head. "Sorry. Captain Gibbs arranged their services. I hardly notice them. They are very careful to stay completely out of my sight it seems."

"Are you disappointed in me for wanting to stay here?" Elizabeth asked.

"No. I could never be disappointed in you, young lady. I will suffer your absence if I must." The general leaned back in his chair. He was an imposing man, even seated. He smiled kindly and said, "Elizabeth, I wish Patsy could meet you. She would very much enjoy your company as much as I. You have brightened this house with your presence and your sweet charm. I know General Lafayette has enjoyed your company just as much as I. That morning you arrived and sang at the service in front of headquarters. I was singularly struck by your voice and your choice of music. I thought I was hearing an angel. The song brought tears to my eyes. It was a favorite of my deceased brother--the man who left me the care of Mount Vernon. You will be missed and never forgotten when you return home."

A deep sadness stole over Elizabeth's heart. Tears welled in her eyes, which she fought to keep contained. She wished to God she could pour out her heart to this man and tell him what she thought Julie Keating was doing, but… "Sir, it is an honor to serve this Cause, your Cause, in any small way I might be useful."

Washington reached over and laid his hand on hers. His grip was warm and firm. "It is _our_ Cause my dear. I am your servant. I won't keep you. Please stay in the company of your friends in my absence and use the greatest caution and prudence in regards to your own safety. The camp may be quite unpleasant, as General Knox will be demonstrating his big guns today for Mr. Jefferson and Governor Henry. Don't be frightened at the noise." He patted her hand, then stood up and returned to his desk and what she supposed was a mountain of correspondence and a river of anxiety for the men under his command.

Elizabeth arose and treaded lightly out into the hall. She shook with emotion as she climbed the stairs slowly trying to regain her composure before meeting Julie in their room. She saw out of the corner of her eye, Colonel Hamilton standing below watching her. She wondered what he thought was going on around here, but she dared not ask him.

* * *

Alexander Hamilton stood with a paper in his hand that required Washington's signature. He had not wanted to disturb the general while he was speaking with the young visitor, Miss Coates. When she disappeared to her bedchamber upstairs, he heard his commander yell, "Alex!"

The young colonel hurried into Washington's office. "Yes, sir?"

"Have you seen General Lafayette this morning?" Washington asked perturbed.

"Why, no sir. Shall I check upstairs?"

"I already have. He left early this morning. I heard him leave."

"Oh. I have no idea where he went. Shall I make a search for him?"

"No. He knows my wishes regarding his presence here this week and yet he has this way of disappearing just when I expect him to be here."

"I'm sure it is not intentional, sir."

"What makes you so sure of that?"

"Ah, well that is just not General Lafayette's nature, sir. Perchance he is at his cabin taking care of some paperwork. Sir, you know General Lafayette can not sit idle."

Washington grunted. "Well, I am not going to wait for him to appear or go searching for him. I wish to leave the camp now. Please have the carriage readied. Mrs. Keating will be accompanying me."

"Well, sir, that shall require mustering of all the guards--"

"So, what of it?"

"I shall get right on it, sir."

"I want you and Colonel Laurens to accompany us in the carriage as well."

Hamilton was surprised at that request. "Yes, sir. I will notify John. We will be ready with the carriage in about half an hour. I should notify the major general of the day so that he can place guards here in our absence."

"Thank you."

Hamilton hurried out and back into his own office. "Laurens, did you hear that?"

"Aye. A day in the country is it?"

"Who is supposed to be in charge around here today?" Hamilton asked.

"I believe that would be Lafayette."

"Really? Then his whereabouts are of concern."

"Why?"

"We are taking all the guards with us. There will be no guards--"

"What do you mean no guards?" a gruff voice barked from the doorway.

Hamilton turned to see General Greene.

"General Washington wishes to take a carriage drive into the country sir. I was lamenting the fact that we must take all the guards with us on such short notice."

"Where is Lafayette? He is supposed to be major general of the day. He should order his own guards to headquarters."

"Ah, sir--" Hamilton had a bad feeling that he was about to be an accessory to his friend being caught in Greene's merciless dogged attention to camp orders and discipline. Why could no one just leave Lafayette alone for one day? Then he remembered the gossip shared by the cook and realized Greene must have heard it.

"You don't know I take it? He hasn't returned?" Greene asked.

Hamilton looked at Laurens who shrugged his shoulders.

Greene huffed loudly. "How am I to keep this camp in order when I can't even get the generals to do what they say they will do?"

General Wayne walked in on the conversation with raised dark eyebrows. "What are you bellowing about, Greene? I am here. I will fill in for Monsieur Lafayette for whatever time he requires."

"You are going with me to observe Knox's artillery demonstrations that he has arranged for mon-SURES Jefferson and Henry. I'll be damned if I'm going to spend the afternoon alone with those political piranhas."

Wayne threw his head back and laughed. "No, I don't see you ever comfortable with the politicians, my friend. I'm sure the young Frenchman is at his cabin or on his way here. I shall fetch him."

"You will do no such thing. If he chooses to leave headquarters empty without leadership on the day that he is assigned to provide it then so be it. Let him deal with the consequences."

"Nathanael, come now--"

Greene turned and stomped out of the room and out the front door, leaving General Wayne staring puzzled at Hamilton and Laurens who were staring puzzled at him.

"General Wayne!" Greene yelled from outside.

"Good day, boys," Wayne said, "I do envy yours." Wayne hurried out to his waiting horse.

"Hamilton, we must find Lafayette. Greene is setting him up."

"I agree, John, but I--we--haven't the time. Come we must prepare the carriage and the guards at once or _we_ shall be strung up for slackers."


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

When Washington's carriage whisked off followed by the rumble of his mounted guard, Jeremy and his companions stood in the road puzzled. Headquarters was empty. The servants were dismissed for the day, but Elizabeth had not come out and had not boarded the carriage.

A cannon boom made everyone jump. It echoed over the hills.

"Artillery show for the politicians," Boggs said.

"And maybe a little for the British in Philadelphia as well?" Isak asked with a big grin.

"Aye, most likely," Boggs said returning the grin.

"Henry," Jeremy said, "you can make an excuse for being inside. Go in and see about Elizabeth."

Henry climbed the steps and entered the hall. He walked to the back where he found Elizabeth in General Washington's office sifting through papers at his desk. She didn't notice his entry. "Elizabeth?"

She jumped and turned a frightened white visage towards him. "Oh, Henry, my word."

"I am sorry. Jeremy sent me to find you. You and I are the only people here."

"Is General Lafayette outside?"

"Nay. Jeremy is waiting for his arrival. What are you doing?"

"Trying to find the matches for those copies of Julie's."

"Here, let me help you. What is needed is a little level-headed scientific thought to quickly locate the missing items."

Elizabeth scowled at Henry.

The young scientist hurried to Elizabeth's side and began to search the cubbyholes of the old secretary. The two were busy when a silent intruder entered the room at their backs.

"What's this? Someone should call the guards," a gravelly voice said.

Henry and Elizabeth turned to see the woodsman standing defiantly in the doorway of the room with a shiny new ax resting on his shoulder.

"What do you want?" Elizabeth asked. "We need no wood."

"What will General Washington think of ye messin' his papers? Are ye a spy too?" The man howled in laughter. "We're all spies. Funny to have so many spies at an army's headquarters and lady spies at that. Doesn't bode well for this army does it?"

"Of course we are not spies," Henry said. "We have every right to be here, and your purpose is?" Henry asked attempting to put the workman in his place and hopefully out the door.

The man's expression turned menacing. He raised his ax and lurched across the room as if to attack. Henry pulled the pistol from under his vest then clumsily dropped it to the floor with a thud. The attacker stopped. His eye went to the gun and then back up at Henry as if daring the young chemist to stoop and pick it up.

"See here," Henry said with a shaky voice. "I don't know your grievance, but surely you have no reason to murder this day."

"I've reason to kill. It's ordained by the bible."

"Was your son a deserter?" Elizabeth asked in a fearful voice.

"He was no deserter!" the angry man growled fixing eyes that were black pits of hate upon the startled girl. "He was wrongly tagged by the one who did the desertin'. He died for someone else's crime. 'Twas so ordered by the great and magnificent General Washington, commander of this army."

"Oh, God," Elizabeth said. She stepped to Henry's side and put her hand on his arm. "Henry, he is the one." Henry turned a white puzzled face to Elizabeth. A great ear-pounding crash of canon split the silence and shook the house to its foundations making everyone jump. As it echoed off the hills, Elizabeth whispered to Henry, "The assassin."

Henry's intelligent eyes registered understanding. He turned to the man who was standing just feet away with a threatening ax over his head. "Why don't we sit a while and talk about this? You want to share your story with us, don't you?" the scientist asked trembling down to his toes.

"I'm here for that French boy of Washington's. The good book says an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth…"

Henry glanced fearfully at Elizabeth. They both understood at once. The assassin wasn't after Washington, but his adopted son, Lafayette.

"He's not here," Elizabeth said calmly. "He left to meet Washington and Mrs. Keating on their trip to the countryside."

"You lie! I've seen him at the river on his horse. He is comin' here, now." The man's eyes spun wildly over the room. He lunged for the drapes on the wall and with one yank tore the ropes off that held them open. He threw them to Elizabeth, "Tie his hands behind his back."

Elizabeth hesitated as a distant shell exploded followed by loud repeated popping.

"Now, woman!"

She did as he asked.

Turning Henry about, the woodsman cinched the knot of rope on his wrists then pushed him towards the cupboard beside the fireplace. "Get in!" The mad man slammed the door back and punched Henry inside.

Elizabeth, unguarded, started for the door. The attacker cut her off in two strides. He raised his ax to strike--she shut her eyes.

"Turn around," he barked.

She obeyed, teary eyed.

He tied her wrists tight then went to the window and ripped two strips from the drapes. He gagged Elizabeth and Henry then forced them down on their knees on the floor of the cupboard with their backs to the door. Henry felt a heavy cover thrown over them. It was the coverlet from the divan. There was the click of the door latch and lock--they were in complete darkness. The retreating stomps of the woodsman shook the floor.

* * *

Jeremy paced nervously as the artillery fire increased and echoed off the hills. He was the first to see the approach of the familiar tall dark-haired rider on his spirited gray. Lafayette spurred his horse's flanks and was quickly upon them. "What is wrong?"

"Concern for General Washington's safety brought us here but he has taken the entire headquarters staff off for a country jaunt," Sergeant Boggs said as he grabbed the reins of his commander's horse.

Lafayette dismounted but hesitated. He bent his head down and rested his forehead on the saddle. He had ridden too long again.

"Jeremy has something to show you," the sergeant said.

The captain handed the general the papers Elizabeth had taken from Julie's hidden stash. Lafayette unfolded each one and studied them. He fixed Jeremy with his dark eyes. "Am I to understand that these are the papers Mrs. Keating copied?"

"Aye, sir. Those are the copies. You said only hard-evidence was keeping you from--"

"I am aware of what I said, Captain."

"Sir," Boggs said, "headquarters is empty. Only Elizabeth and Henry are in the house. Perhaps you would like to confirm that those are copies of originals at General Washington's desk?"

The Frenchman narrowed his eyes and straightened his shoulders. He nodded and approached the house with a limp.

"Where are your guards, sir?" Boggs asked. "They need to be assigned to headquarters immediately."

Lafayette wheeled on his aide and growled, "I left them to guard the beef and flour that was dumped at the river. That is far more important than this." He flapped the papers at his subordinate then turned and proceeded in long painful strides to the door.

Jeremy bit his lower lip and glanced sideways at Boggs but the sergeant showed no emotion.

After the general went inside, Boggs blew out a long puff of air. "We don't know the whereabouts of the servants and there are no guards. Should I not be concerned?" he asked the sky facetiously. "Let's circle the house and be sure all is secure. Isak you stay here." Jeremy followed the sergeant towards the kitchen breezeway. They found the side door from the house secure and continued to the back amidst the din of repeated rounds of artillery fire.

* * *

Henry and Elizabeth waited kneeling in the tight cupboard in pitch dark and only the sound of the distant cannon in their ears. A jangle of spurs announced someone had entered the room--someone wearing boots and limping. There was a crackle of papers. Henry held his breath. A loud crash made the two captives jump. Henry tried to kick behind him at the door but it held fast.

"Come here boy and get your due! Ye shall die this day ye arrogant pup."

Henry winced at the crack of the ax hitting wood. He was relieved when he heard Lafayette's voice.

"What do you want? What have I done to you?"

"Washington murdered my son. Ye shall pay for his crime as the good book says. I have waited a long time, but he shall know my pain this day."

"Retribution is it?" Lafayette asked from nearby the cupboard. "An eye-for-an-eye, a son-for-a-son?"

The general's voice sounded calm, reassuring. He was moving about dodging the ax, but clearly trapped at the end of the room near the fireplace. Even with two stout healthy legs, he needed Sergeant Boggs and a few guards to bring down that fiend.

"If you say you are following the Christian bible, what about 'Thou shalt not kill?' asked the Frenchman. "Will your god not punish you for this? Will you not regret this?"

"I'll only regret not bein' here to see that well-born tyrant's face when he finds ye dead and learns his pretty adopted daughter is a loyalist spy."

"Why would he believe Mrs. Keating is a spy?" Lafayette asked.

The woodsman chuckled. "I made her one right here in this room after I made her cry and beg for her life. Here's the copied papers that I'll be givin' the British commander in Philadelphia. I'll get a hefty reward for these and a reward for killin' ye."

"Is that a confession? I'm no priest."

"My friend told me your spies have pinned it on her. That's all I need. Ye won't be here to tell anyone the truth."

The violent crash and crunch of the ax again sent Henry's blood pumping. He heard the general's spurs jangle as he jumped away from the assailant.

"Ah, then is it greed and not your faith that is driving you to murder?" Lafayette asked.

"I've no hope of ever bein' anythin' but a poor laborer. I've a right to be reimbursed for the loss of my son who could have provided for me in my old age."

"Your son was but a bastard child that you forced upon a woman. I hardly think he would have agreed with you."

"Ye shut-up about that! Ye dishonor him," the woodsman growled. "I loved him just the same. I cared for him from the time he was an infant when his mother threw him away and left him for dead behind a woodpile. He was my blood. I've a right to avenge his death."

"That is a sad story, indeed," Lafayette said. "Perhaps his affection for you caused him to desert the army and run home to have you care for him again?"

"He did not desert! That's a lie."

"How do you know it is a lie? General Wayne caught those deserters outside of camp and brought them back himself. Your son was among them. Who told you otherwise?"

There was a long pause filled only by the crack and crash of cannon.

"His capt'n told me the truth. He said my son had been wrongly ordered to die by Washington."

"Captain Slake?" Lafayette asked. "He said you attacked him."

"No. I never did no such thing. He came to me and told me the truth."

"You have been deceived and ill-used. Slake is serving the British."

"No! Ye're the liar! All Frenchies are tricksters. I won't listen to your lies."

The cannon boomed shaking the house and reverberating over the hills. Henry strained to hear the conversation in the room.

"She's besotted with you," the woodsman said. "I had to lie to her so she wouldn't squeal. She offered to make me a rich man, if I kept my mouth shut about what I knew, but I cain't be bought. I'll squawk like a parrot to everyone about ye and her."

More crashes from inside the room and breakage of glass followed.

"What did you do to her?" Lafayette asked faintly. He sounded upset.

"I know everythin'," the man cackled. "I was there under the bed set to slit your throat and then in she came. She saved your life last night and what did ye do? Ye repaid her by rejecting her a second time! I gave her what she wanted. It was a job for a man."

Henry was confused. When he didn't hear Lafayette's voice in reply his heart raced. What was wrong? He jumped as something smashed against the closet door and slid to the floor. A scuffle followed and then a colossal crash that sounded like a window.

"I have ye now, boy," the man growled. The poor young chemist lost all hope that Lafayette would survive. He feared he and Elizabeth were witnessing his death as violent dull thuds thundered in his ears. Elizabeth was sobbing beside him. Henry sobbed with her. He wanted desperately to take her in his arms and cover her ears.

* * *

Boggs and Jeremy approached the back of headquarters. The open cellar hatch drew their attention. Jeremy agonized about what he had done and the impact it would have on his friendship with General Lafayette. Surely, with this undeniable proof, his friend, Lafayette, would come to understand his actions. The cracking sharp blast of the artillery made him want to swear in anger. He watched as Boggs walked to the back door.

"Jeremy?" Boggs yelled over the echo of another shell.

The captain hurried to the sergeant's side. The latch and heavy chain were lying on the ground along with splintered wood. Someone had forced the door. A crash to the left startled them—a shower of glass rained down.

"Damn!" Boggs exclaimed. He slammed the broken door back and bounded into the house. Jeremy followed. The sergeant yelled, "Guards!" Isak appeared.

Violent mayhem and fiendish threats emanated from Washington's office, sending the chill of fear to Jeremy's gut. The door was locked. Boggs stood back and launched his leg--the fragile barrier flew open and off its hinges.

A hefty man with a gleaming ax poised to fall stood over a crumpled Lafayette. The sergeant leapt and grabbed the assailant's arms pulling them backward. The woodsman stumbled and twisted his body wrenching his hands free from Boggs' grip. A grim mask-like face leered at the sergeant.

Jeremy watched in horror as the ax came down on the sergeant's shoulder. Boggs grunted in pain and fell to one knee. He arose growling and plowed into the attacker's middle sending him down on the last remaining unbroken piece of furniture--the red divan. The delicate form splintered and the men sprawled to the floor.

As Jeremy and Isak rushed to help Boggs, the sergeant yelled, "Get help! You can't handle him."

Isak fell across the woodsman's sprawled legs.

Jeremy dashed to the front door and out into the yard. "Guards! Help!" Several men turned in alarm but it was Greene and Wayne that quickly understood the meaning. They were on horseback not 10 yards from the house talking with Colonel Tilghman. They turned and kicked their horses and leapt to the ground in front of Jeremy.

"Lafayette is being attacked--" Jeremy said, breathless.

Before he had uttered his last word, the two men rushed through the entry hall and into the office with Jeremy close behind. They found Boggs down and Isak dodging the attacker who was back on his feet and hurling the ax about like a mad biblical giant.

Wayne hurdled over the fallen sergeant and slammed into the ax-wielding monster bringing him down on his back on the debris littered floor with a thud that shook the house. The ax flew free and lodged in the wall.

Wayne and Isak sat on the bucking man until five guards arrived with Tilghman to subdue the woodsman and drag him screaming from the building.

Boggs rolled over and gasped in pain as he rose to his feet. He stumbled to the crumpled form of Lafayette under the shattered window. The broken glass crunched under his boots. "General?" he said in a faint breathless voice. He checked for a pulse.

Greene stepped to his side. "Dear Almighty, what have I done?" Greene was white with fear, his eyes watered. He reached down to the young Frenchman and placed his hand on his chest confirming for himself that he still breathed.

Tilghman reappeared. "He's alive isn't he?" he cried out in a panicked voice that was almost a sob.

"Get the doctor, Tench," Greene ordered.

Jeremy stood in shock for a long while unable to even look at his fallen general afraid of what he would see, but then remembered two friends were missing. "Where's Henry and Elizabeth?" The other men looked at him puzzled. The artillery shelling had stopped, leaving a dull dead silence.

Wayne angrily kicked the remainder of the divan out of the way and exclaimed, "If that goddamn Knox hadn't been showing off, we would have heard this scuffle. This devastation should have wakened--."

A dull thumping quieted the fierce brigadier. Everyone looked around for the source.

"The cellar?" Wayne asked with his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Greene walked to the cupboard beside the fireplace, unlocked the latch and pulled the door open revealing the huddled forms. He yanked the coverlet off.

"Elizabeth?" Jeremy cried.

"Henry?" Isak yelled.

The two hostages came out in tears, red-faced and exhausted from the fearful torment. They were speechless. Henry leaned against the wall trying to catch his breath. Elizabeth cried out with her hands to her face when she saw Boggs bleeding and leaning over the young Frenchman. "General Lafayette!" she exclaimed in horror. Jeremy rushed to her side and embraced her. "Come on, Bess. It's all over, now."

"Oh, Jeremy," she cried shaking her head. "It's awful. It's all so dreadful." She could say no more but only looked at her friend with imploring tearful eyes.

Jeremy looked to see Boggs loosening Lafayette's clothing. The general was still unconscious, but the only blood was coming from the sergeant's shoulder, and that was dripping to the floor at an alarming rate. Jeremy looked at Henry. The apothecary immediately saw the need for his services. He stumbled to the sergeant and threw the coverlet over his stooped form and gripped the wound.

"Anthony," Greene said, "find General Washington and inform him of what has happened."

"Certainly, Nathanael."

"Sir, wait," Jeremy said.

"What is it?" Greene barked.

"There is a woman with General Washington--we have determined she is a loyalist spy."

"Julie Keating?" Wayne asked leaving his jaw hanging in shock.

"Yes, sir," Jeremy answered. "General Lafayette had come in here with a map that she had traced--to see that it was true." Jeremy rushed to the desk and found the papers. "Here they are, sir."

Greene stepped to his side and studied the copies and the originals. He dropped his head and exhaled deeply. "Is she connected to this mad man? To the British?"

"No, sir. She appeared to have never made contact with anyone. I figured she would do that after she returned--"

"That man was here to kill Lafayette as revenge upon Washington for having his son put to death for desertion." Henry had found his voice. "Jeremy, he was involved with Mrs. Keating. He has the rest of the copied papers on his person. I heard him tell General Lafayette that he forced her to commit treason. I didn't completely understand, but I don't think the reality matches your theory…exactly"

Greene gazed sadly at the unconscious general and the devoted aide that was caring for him. "Boggs, you need to go to the hospital before you bleed to death."

"I'm not leaving him."

"Where is that damn doctor?" Greene yelled.

"I am here," the haggard medical man answered as he entered. "What the hell happened?"

"Just see to the patients. Tench, the attacker had some papers on him. Retrieve them at once."

"Aye, sir." Tilghman ran from the room.

"Egad," Wayne exclaimed with his hand flattened against his forehead. "I should have known. Julie's husband suspected her of collusion with the British officers. That is why he brought her out here and forbade her traveling without him."

"And you didn't tell anyone?" Greene said. "How can that be?"

"Nathanael, I thought he meant she was sleeping around with them. Why would she turn on General Washington?"

"This is my fault," Greene said catching his breath as if he had just been punched in the gut. "I left this house unguarded, unsecured and I let that boy walk right into it. I might as well have ordered him to his death."

Jeremy stood silent trying to re-piece the puzzle in his head that Henry's words had just shattered. It was leading him to a guilty place he feared. What was the truth?

"Nathanael, you are being too hard on yourself," Wayne said. "Gilbert tried to tell me of his concern with Mrs. Keating. She was trying to seduce him. I was not equal to the task of giving him advice on the subject. I should have taken him by the arm and led him straight to you."

Greene looked alarmed at Wayne's words. "My God, then I am doubly guilty. I took it upon myself to admonish him about an inappropriate attachment to Mrs. Keating and apparently he was just trying to get away from her."

"Go get General Washington," Greene ordered. "Take him aside and explain what has happened. Tell him Mrs. Keating is under suspicion. Have her taken to my quarters and you stay with her."

"Yes, sir." Wayne hurried from the room.

"General Greene," Jeremy said, "We were all misled and distracted by Julie Keating. We were here to catch that man that attacked Lafayette, but we were one-step behind him. The intelligence we had pointed to a plot to kill Washington, not Lafayette."

"Captain Larkin, I share the blame on that. I never believed Tilghman's story about an assassination plot and neither did General Washington. His Excellency is going to be most unhappy with this turn of events."

* * *

"No! You must believe me! I knew nothing of a plot to kill General Lafayette." Julie screamed her words and sobbed as she sat on the edge of the sofa in the parlor at Greene's headquarters.

"You talked with the man that intended to kill him," General Greene said. "You gave him copies of General Washington's papers."

The trembling woman choked on her tears and slipped to her knees on the carpeted floor. "I would never have given those papers to the British. I was angry with the marquis. He rejected my advances. The woodsman caught me in my vengeful act and demanded that I give him the papers. I feared for my life. I feared for General Lafayette. The beast was threatening to tell everyone that Lafayette and I were having an affair, that we had slept together in the house and it wasn't true! He tried to blackmailed me, but I didn't give him the papers. I tried to keep them from him, but…"

"You were mad at the marquis because he wouldn't give in to your seduction?" said a deep troubled voice from the dark corner of the room. General Washington walked into the dim candlelight and stood by General Greene.

Julie looked up with pleading eyes. "Please, dear Uncle George, I was just being a silly girl with hurt feelings."

"I dare say Rutherford will tell us otherwise," Wayne said.

Julie dropped her head and sobbed.

"Tell us the truth, Julie," Washington said. "That will determine your fate."

The young woman sniffed. She grew demure and sad. Without raising her face to her accusers, she spoke as if reading from a script, "I am the miserable wife of a miserable speculator who cheats on me like I was a common hag. He can not give me children, so I have looked for a man that will." She looked up with angry eyes at General Wayne. "You know that, Anthony."

General Wayne dropped his gaze to the floor.

"When the marquis refused my first offer--"

"That afternoon, you told me he had propositioned you to purchase your land out from under my control? Was that a lie?" Washington said.

"Yes. I lied. I feared you would find out what I had done. I-I didn't a-anticipate…I didn't expect my request to cause him such agitation. I wanted him to buy the land so that my child, his child, would inherit my father's wealth instead of Rutherford and his lazy fat nephews." Julie bent to the floor; she buried her face in her hands and moaned, "It is all lost."

Washington sighed wearily and motioned to General Greene to follow him out of the room. Greene closed the door behind him.

"Nathanael, I trust you have a housekeeper that can stay with Julie this evening? I don't want her left alone."

"Of course, your Excellency."

"I'm going to return to headquarters. I've been away from Gilbert too long--"

"I know, sir. Rest assured she shall be fed and kept comfortable for the evening. Go. You should be by the marquis' side."

Washington turned to leave, but Greene said, "Sir, I must tell you, I believed the gossip that the servants were spreading. I am sick with anguish that I doubted the marquis. He is such a generous kind-hearted lad."

The commander-in-chief turned back and looked with sorrow upon his subordinate.

"I should have been asking the boy if he needed my help instead of berating him," Greene continued. "Believe me sir I was only trying to help him. I just made the wrong assumption about the kind of help he needed."

Washington placed his hand on his second-in-command's broad shoulder. "Nathanael, you can not feel guiltier than I. Please, let us not spend this time browbeating ourselves. I think he will understand our behavior after he is told of her duplicitous scheme. At least, I hope he will forgive us."

General Greene nodded.

"It is imperative that we keep this quiet," Washington said. "I do not want the marquis' young wife learning of this in a Parisian newspaper. She would be frightened to death."

"Of course, your Excellency. Only a select group of your guards and a trusted doctor knows what happened."

"Thank you, but make sure General Wayne understands that I will personally beat him to a pulp if any of this is traced to his mouth wet with whiskey."

Greene chuckled. "You and me both."

* * *

After evening fell, Jeremy, Isak and Elizabeth loitered in the entry hall of headquarters not knowing what to do with themselves. General Lafayette lay on a cot before the fireplace in the front room. Sergeant Boggs sat beside him with his arm in a sling and clearly in pain from his wound. Henry had meted out all the painkiller he could safely give him.

The front door opened and in walked General Washington. He removed his hat and lingered in the hall a moment before turning toward the front room. In the door opening, he stopped and straightened. "Daniel," he said softly as if just remembering.

The sergeant turned his head to look at the commander. His eyes were dazed and drugged but they teared at the sight of the man he most revered in the world.

"It's my fault, your Excellency," Boggs said choking back the tears. "I let him walk in here alone."

"Is there no one free of guilt? Daniel, you saved his life and I'm not about to let you give yours out of guilt. Tench!" the commander yelled.

"Aye sir," came the reply from the back room. Colonel Tilghman soon appeared.

"Take the sergeant to the cabins and see that he stays on his back."

The colonel assisted the injured man out of the room. Elizabeth arose to greet them in the entry hall. She tearfully embraced the weary sergeant. "You saved the general and Henry and me, too."

"Miss Coates, I'm very sorry. General Lafayette will be inconsolable when he finds out about your horrific ordeal."

"Maybe we just won't tell him that part," she said with a smile and a sniffle as she wiped the tears from her face.

Washington removed his greatcoat and hat and threw them on a nearby table. He dropped down in the vacated chair, leaned over on his elbows and rubbed his face with his hands.

Billy walked through the house lighting tapers that hung on the walls. He quietly and without being told kept the fireplaces fed. Hannah came in and offered everyone supper in the kitchen but received only mumbled thanks for her troubles. No one left the hallway.

A few of Washington's guards cleaned out the disheveled back room, replaced the furniture with borrowed bits from the nearby farmhouse and repaired the window and the doors. Colonel Tilghman walked in after he dismissed the soldiers out the back door. "You young folks might be more comfortable at the fire in the back room"

"I would just as soon stay out here," Elizabeth said. She was seated on the only chair in the hall that sat by the door to the breezeway. Her shawl wrapped around her.

"All right, Miss. I will bid you an evening then," Tilghman said. "You can find me out in the guards' cabins if you need me. Just call my name. You boys take the front room upstairs. Elizabeth can move to the room above the entry. Billy and the maid have prepared everything for you."

"Thank you sir," Jeremy said. "That is more than kind."

"It is the least I can do, Captain Larkin. If you had not been here--"

Jeremy nodded.

General Wayne and Henry entered the front door as Tilghman was leaving.

"How's the boy?" Wayne asked no one in particular.

"Still unconscious," Jeremy said.

Wayne removed his hat and stared at it, fumbling nervously with the cockade. "I wouldn't blame you all if you hated me right now. If I had just been around here more and listened when I was spoken to--"

"Sir, we all fell short I'm afraid," Jeremy said.

"We are not going to get the satisfaction of watching the ax-man hang for this," Wayne said.

"What?" Jeremy asked.

"He hung himself with his belt in the hold."

Jubilant cries arose outside the house along with shouts and gunfire. The young people were alarmed.

"Calm yourselves," Wayne said. "Those are soldiers celebrating their good fortune. We just came from delivering that beef and flour General Lafayette found." Wayne slapped Henry on the back. "Mr. Abbington saved the day with his clever flying rope trick. I've never seen the like and apparently neither has the haunty Duportail great French engineer that he is. He finally whispered a begrudging conciliatory '_bon __travail_'."

"And I accepted that as high praise from such a brilliant man," Henry added.

"Henry," Elizabeth said, "General Lafayette will be elated that the men received that food."

"Aye. That drove me to overcome the many obstacles like lack of bear grease to slick the rope."

"What did you use instead of the bear grease?" Isak asked cautiously.

"Let's just say it is produced by an animal and leave it at that," Henry said.

General Wayne hooted a laugh.

"Did Mrs. Keating commit treason?" Jeremy asked Wayne.

The general narrowed his eyes and smirked at Jeremy. "She confessed to having the intention of copying those papers."

"But the woodsman admitted he made her do it," Elizabeth said.

"If that were true, Elizabeth, wouldn't she just say that and not implicate herself?" Jeremy asked.

"She claimed it was a crime of passion," Wayne said. "She was angry with the marquis and sought to get back at him through treason. I have my doubts. Julie Keating is much too smart to be ruled by emotion. In my humble opinion, she saw the possibility of losing her father's fortune either to her husband and his family or to the British if they won the war. She is English at heart and no doubt thinks that America will never be other than English colonies. The more I think on it, the more I see what a fat opportunity she had to be a Loyalist spy."

Jeremy and the others looked in disbelief at one another. "That would be some way to repay General Washington for all he has done for her," Elizabeth said.

"Aye, but look at her life. Her husband is a philandering cad and his nephews are worse. She wanted the marquis to give her a child. She hoped for a son to inherit her wealth. He refused."

Jeremy scowled. "That's a big jump from unhappy wife to traitor, but when you think about it--a woman in her situation…she was a captive in a way--"

"Aye, a captive looking for some leverage to overcome the natural inequities of being born a woman," Wayne said.

Washington's voice was heard. Everyone quieted.

General Wayne stepped into the room and approached the commander. "Sir, has he regained consciousness? Shall I send for the doctor?"

Washington looked back over his shoulder. "He is showing signs of life. We won't require the doctor. It's just exhaustion. I don't' think he has slept or eaten for four days." Washington shook his head.

"I could have done more to prevent this," Wayne said standing over the cot. "Gilbert gave me the opportunity and I failed him."

"We all failed him; except his friends out there in the hall."

"Aye, sir. Of course."

Lafayette stirred. The young Frenchman opened his eyes and peered at Washington, then at Wayne standing above him. "There was a man with an ax," he said slowly.

"Lucky for you," Washington said, "that your young friends from Chester are a persistent dogged bunch."

"Elizabeth? Where is Elizabeth Coates?" Lafayette asked.

"I am right here, sir," Elizabeth called out. "I am fine."

"And Julie?" the Frenchman asked.

"At General Greene's residence, under guard," Washington answered.

Lafayette's dark eyes widened in surprise.

"She was a loyalist spy," Washington said, "as Captain Larkin suspected. She was caught red-handed. The woodsman was in on her traitorous activity intending to pass the copied papers to the British."

"Oh, _oui,_ I remember all now. Sir," Lafayette said, "I-I…"

"Son, I owe you a huge apology. Julie tried to convince me that you were going to purchase her land right out from under my guardianship as proof of your love for her. All the while, she was trying to force herself upon you. I know the truth now. I failed you my boy when I didn't listen and try to understand your concern about her. I promise you I would never expect you to entertain a woman in such a manner, or heaven-forbid--give her a child. She confessed all. I think that will be the end of my inviting guests into this house until Martha is here to keep things in order. She would have seen plainly what I failed to see and demanded a guard in the hall at night."

"I am just thankful you know the truth," Lafayette said, "but Julie is not guilty of treason. The woodsman, he threatened her and made her copy those papers. He told me." Lafayette reached his hand up towards General Wayne who gripped it. "Anthony, you need to arrest Captain Slake as a British spy. He set the woodsman on his path of murder."

A jolt coursed through Jeremy. Slake knew the captain's rank and real name and had probably surmised his role as an American agent. If he knew Jeremy was from Chester…

Washington looked surprised at General Wayne who said, "Gilbert, she admitted that she came down here to copy the papers because she was angry with you."

"Even so, I'm sure she didn't have treason in her. She may have been acting out of anger but that brute threatened her life--a-and I fear something much much worse. I'm telling you she is not guilty. She is a victim." The marquis raised himself to his elbows. His face showed the marks of the beating he had received.

"Take it easy," Washington said. "I'm listening. Julie is safe at Greene's headquarters."

"Don't abandon her, sir. What she did to me is trifling. She needs you now more than ever. She needs a father."

"The woodsman hung himself," Wayne said.

Lafayette fell back on the cot exhausted. "Then he can not speak. I heard his words though. He meant them. He wanted to hurt you by hurting me and Julie--because…"

"Because of my affection for the two of you." Washington sighed and laid his hand on the young man's arm. "Don't worry, son. I will not abandon, Julie. How could I when I am the one that set her upon her wretched married life? Dear Almighty, if she was attacked in this house…" The commander dropped his head. "You are being very generous of heart as usual and I am only seeing the pain she caused you."

Lafayette bolted up again startling Washington and Wayne. "_Le boeuf!" _he yelled.

Washington looked to Wayne to explain. The brigadier shrugged and shook his head.

"My guards," Lafayette exclaimed. "They are guarding the beef and flour at the river. The British will find them!" He looked at Washington with dismal fear on his young face.

"Nay, Gilbert," Wayne said. "The beef and flour have been retrieved and the guards. All is well. The men are celebrating as we speak. You have that young whippersnapper of a brain, Henry Abbington, to thank for getting it safely across the frozen river in quick time. It was a marvel of ingenuity that even the great Duportail had to acknowledge."

A dimpled grin slowly appeared brightening Lafayette's bruised face. He lay back. "May I see my Chester friends and thank them, sir?"

Washington sat up erect and planted his large hands on his chair's arms. "Why I suppose that would be in order. I need to get back to my business of hounding that stupefied deputy commissary general. Tomorrow I must face Rutherford Keating and give him the news of his wife. It shall be painful for us both."

"Ah, sir," General Wayne said, "What will you do with her? What of her father's fortune?"

"I'm leaning towards house arrest until the end of the war if Rutherford can accomplish it…and Julie will agree. As for the money, I'm sure Rutherford will demand that I turn it over to him. I will talk privately with Julie again in light of what the marquis has shared with me and then make my decision."

Washington rose and planted a firm hand on General Wayne's shoulder. "Now, Anthony, what do you plan for yourself this evening?"

"I-I…well sir I thought I would stay in camp with my men. Show them a bit of solidarity with their cares. See that this traitorous Captain Slake is put in the hold."

"I'd say that is a good choice. A good choice indeed."

Washington walked into the hall, his face studious, his hands clasped behind his back.

"General Washington, let me help you with Julie," Elizabeth said. "I know if I were her I would want another woman to talk to about what happened."

"Thank you, Miss Coates. I shall consider your offer, but I have much concern about placing you in a situation that might disclose your true purpose here. She may be innocent, but I must take all precautions. I fear all of you have been exposed too much as it is. I should have believed Colonel Tilghman's warnings. I can see now you were at a great disadvantage--"

The general's attention was drawn to Billy standing quietly on the stairs. The orderly had a bound book in his hand.

"Yes, Billy, what is it?" Washington asked.

"Sir, you told me to search Mrs. Keating's personal items."

"Yes."

Billy walked slowly down the remaining steps and handed the book to the general. Washington moved under the lantern hanging from the ceiling and read several pages of what appeared to be a journal. He flipped through the remainder. "Where did you find this?"

"It was hidden in a secret compartment at the bottom of her toiletry bag."

Wayne walked up. "What is it?"

"Anthony, I believe you have a few more people to arrest than Slake." Washington showed Wayne a page of the book.

Wayne took only a second to comprehend what he was reading. His face turned white. "Holy Mary Joseph."

"Billy, go retrieve Colonel Tilghman," Washington said. "His day is not quite finished."

"Yes, sir."

Washington clasped the book shut and folded it in his hands behind his back then turned his attention to the young people standing with their mouths agape in the hall. "I thank each of you with all of my heart for the service you have provided. You have saved General Lafayette's life and saved me from complete devastating despair. It appears that you have also been instrumental in uncovering a very large spy ring within our own ranks. Good work."

"We are always ready to serve you and General Lafayette, sir," Jeremy said.

"Be careful, Jeremy," General Lafayette called out, "he knows where you live."

Washington smiled and arched his brows. The young people laughed and ambled shyly into the front room happy to see and hear from their young commander again.

**The End**


End file.
